Tajik (Persian in Tajikistan)

Tajik is a variety of Persian spoken primarily in Tajikistan, where it serves as the official language. It is part of the larger Iranian language family and shares many features with other Persian dialects, particularly in grammar and vocabulary. Tajik uses the Cyrillic script, introduced during Soviet rule, which distinguishes it from the Persian spoken in Iran, which uses a variant of the Arabic script. Tajik has been influenced by Russian and other local languages due to historical and cultural interactions. It plays a critical role in Tajik identity and cultural expression.