Comparative Analysis of Avestan and Zand Text of Visprad (Kardag 1-8)*

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD Student in Ancient Languages, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Linguistics, Allameh Tabatabai University, Tehran, Iran

3 Professor, Department of Linguistics, Allameh Tabatabai University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

In the Sassanid era, Zoroastrian, Christian, and Buddhist religious texts were translated into Middle Persian. During this period, Zoroastrian priests, after compiling the Avestan texts, translated and interpreted them into Middle Persian. These translation and interpretation of Avesta are called Zand. The method of translating these texts is word for word and hence the translators adhered to the words and syntax of the Avestan language. These translations were literal, that is, the translators chose a word in Pahlavi or Middle Persian for each Avestan word and considered the order of the words in Avestan sentences. In choosing the Pahlavi equivalent of these words, attention has been paid to the appearance of the Avestan terms as well as the derivation that the translator intended for them. The sentence style of the Avestan text is also preserved and they do not have the usual construction sentences of the Pahlavi language (Middle Persian).  In this article, we seek to examine the differences between the important Avestan text of Visprad and Zand, one of the important texts of the Zoroastrian religion.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Abolghasemi, Mohsen. 1997. Rahnamay Zaban-hay Bastani (Guide to Ancient Languages), Tehran: Samt, vol. 1. [in Farsi]
Amuzgar, Zhaleh. 2007. "Yaddasht-hayi Darbareh Zand (Notes about Zand)", in: Language, Culture and Myth, Tehran: Moin, pp. 121-128. [in Farsi]
Asadi Tusi, Abu Nasr Ali ibn Ahmad. 1957. Loghat Fors (Persian Language), Edited by Mohammad Dabir Siyaghi, Tehran: Tahuri.
Asadi Tusi, Ali ibn Ahmad. 1940. Loghat Fors (Persian Language), Edited by Abbas Eghbal, Tehran: Parliament Printing House.
Bartholomae, C. 1904. Altiranisches Wörterbuch, Strassburg: W. De Gruyter (Reprint: Berlin, 1961).
Cantera, A. 2004. Studien zur Pahlavi-Übersetzung des Avesta, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.
Dadegi, Faranbagh. 2006. Bondahesh, Reported by Mehrdad Bahar, Tehran: Tus, Third Edition.
Darmesteter, J. 1892. Le Zend-Avesta, Premier volume: La Liturgie (Yasna et Vispéred), Paris: E. Leroux (Reprint: 1960).
Dhabhar, E. B. N. 1949. Pahlavi Yasna and Visperad, Bombay: S. F. Desi for the Trustees of the Parsi Puncheyet Funds and Properties.
Geldner, K. F. 1889. Avesta the Sacred Books of Parsis, vol. ii: Vispered and Khorda Avesta, Stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer.
Hinnells, John Russell. 1989. Shenakht Asatir Iran (Persian Mythology), Translated by Ahmad Tafazzoli & Zhaleh Amuzegar, Tehran: Spring. [in Farsi]
Hintze, Almut. 2014. "Adabiyat Awestayi (Avestan Literature)", in: History of Persian Literature, Translated by Ahmad Reza Ghaem Maghami, Supervised by Ehsan Yar Shater, Tehran: Speech, vol. 7. [in Farsi]
Hoffmann, K.; Forssman, B. 2004. AvestischeLaut-und Flexionlehre, Innsbruck: Institut für Sprachwissenschaft der Universität Innsbruck.
Jackson, A. V. W. 1892. An Avesta Grammar, Stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer.
Josephson, J. 1997. The Pahlavi Translation Technique as Illustrated by Hōm Yašt, Uppsala: Uppsala Universitetsbibliothek.
Kellens, J. 1995. List du VerbeAvestique, Wiesbaden: L. Reichert.
Khalaf Tabrizi, Borhan Mohammad Hoseyn. 1964. Borhan Ghate (Conclusive Proof), Prepared by Mohammad Moin, Tehran: Amirkabir. [in Farsi]
MacKenzie, D. N. 1986. A Concise Pahlavi Dictionary, London: Routledge Curzon (Reprint: 1990).
Mills, L. H. 1887. The Zend-Avesta, Part III, Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Purdawud, Ibrahim. 1964. Visprad, Prepared by Bahram Farahushi, Tehran: Ibn Sina.
Tavadia, Jahangir. 1969. Zaban wa Adabiyat Pahlavi (Pahlavi Language and Literature), Translated by S. Najm Abadi, Tehran: University of Tehran. [in Farsi]
Wolff, F. 1910. Avesta die heiligenBücher der Parsen, Stassburg: KJ Trübner.

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics