Chahar Mahal va Bakhtiari Province

The province of Chahar Mahal va Bakhtiari is nestled in the heights of the Zagros Range, with the mountains opening down onto the Iranian Plateau in the north-west. The linguistic situation mirrors the topography.

The Southwestern Iranic variety Bakhtiāri, which is the province’s main language, is primarily spoken in the valleys of the higher areas. It is also spoken in the lower areas around Lordegān in the south, and by speakers who have moved into the cities in the north-east quarter of the province.

In the north-east, there is a division between urban languages and those which are principally rural. Urban varieties include Dehkordi (in Shahr-e Kord), Ghafarrokhi (in Farrokh Shahr), Heysheguni (in Hafshejān), and Borujeni (in Borujen). These hitherto undocumented varieties have been reported as similar to the urban Southwestern Persian dialects of Esfahan Province.

The remaining areas of the north-east quarter are populated by speakers from two additional language communities: Rural Chārmahāli, a Southwestern variety transitional between Bakhtiari and rural Southwestern dialects of Esfahan Province; and an unclassified variety of Turkic distinct from Āzarbāyjāni and Kashkai. The Chārmahāli and Turkic language areas overlap with one another, and in the foothills of the Zagros they intermingle with Bakhtiāri as well. In the cities of the north-eastern part of the province, Rural Chārmahāli and Turkic likewise coexist with the Urban Chārmahāli spoken there.

Tehrani-type Persian is now being taught to children as a first language in some parts of the province, with the highest concentrations in the cities.