Proto-Iranian

Proto-Iranian is the ancient common ancestor language of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian family, which includes modern languages like Persian, Kurdish, Pashto, and Balochi. Spoken around 2000–1000 BCE, it was used by early Iranian peoples before they spread across parts of Central Asia and the Middle East. Through linguistic study, researchers trace features of these modern languages back to Proto-Iranian, helping us understand how languages evolve and how early Iranian cultures interacted and migrated. The language itself is reconstructed through analysis of shared vocabulary, sound changes, and grammatical features in descendant languages.