An Introduction to Young Avestan: A Manual for Teaching and Learning

✍ Scribed by Alberto Cantera, Céline Redard; Richard Tahmaseb Nirouman (trans.)

• Publisher: Harrassowitz Verlag
• Year: 2023
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 474
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Avestan is the sacred language of the Zoroastrians in which they perform most of their rituals. It is known only from its use in the rituals of modern Zoroastrians and the manuscripts reproducing these rituals since the 13th century. Although sure dates cannot be provided, it is very likely that the creation of the liturgical corpus extended from the end of the 2nd millennium BCE until the end of the Achaemenid period (4th cent. BCE). This corpus includes texts in at least three linguistic layers (Old, Middle and Young Avestan). The present manual aims to provide a tool for facilitating the teaching of Young Avestan but keeps in mind also the possibility of self-learning since Avestan is not well-represented in the actual academic landscape. It includes a progressive presentation of the complex phonetic evolutions that are very characteristic of the Avestan language as a consequence of the evolution of the recitation until its fixation (6th cent. CE) and also of the Avestan grammar, complemented with exercises including samples of original texts of increasing difficulty. In each lesson, one text is reproduced in a manuscript, introducing the students to the direct work with manuscripts.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover
Title Pages
Contents
Introduction to the English version
Introduction
Bibliography and fundamental tools
Lesson 1
1.1 What is the Avestan language?
1.2 The Avestan alphabet
1.3 Ahuric and Daēvic vocabulary
1.4 Vocabulary
1.5 Exercises
Lesson 2
2.1 Morphological Categories
2.2 Declensions of a-Stems (ALF § 87, IA § 19.1)
2.3 The verb “to be”
2.4 Coordination particles (IA § 38.2)
2.5 Vocabulary
2.6 Exercises
Lesson 3
3.1 declensions of non-apophonic ā-stems (ALF § 88, IA § 19.2)
3.2 Present stems
3.3 Syntax of causative verbs (VAV 141 SS)
3.4 Vocabulary
3.5 Exercises
Lesson 4
4.1 Vocalism I. General phenomena affecting vocalism
4.2 The apophony (= Ablaut) (ALF § 43, IA § 13.2)
4.3 The declension of ā-stems: The apophonic ā-stems (ALF § 89, IA § 19.2)
4.4 The past tense: The imperfect and the injunctive (OAV. 227–249)
4.5 Compounds
4.6 Vocabulary
4.7 Exercises
Lesson 5
5.1 vocalism II. The vowel a
5.2 Personal pronouns (ALF § 112–116, IA § 22.1)
5.3 Syntax of personal pronouns
5.4 Vocabulary
5.5 Exercises
Lesson 6
6.1 Vocalism III. The vowel ā
6.2 Relative, interrogative and indefinite pronouns
6.3 Syntax of the relative pronoun
6.4 The middle voice
6.5 Vocabulary
6.6 Exercises
Lesson 7
7.1 Vocalism III. The vowels i, ī, u, ū (ALF § 41)
7.2 The declension of i-stems I (ALF § 95, IA § 19.5)
7.3 The passive
7.4 Passive syntax
7.5 Vocabulary
7.6 Exercises
Lesson 8
8.1 Vocalism IV. The diphthongs (IA § 10)
8.2 The declension of i-stems II (ALF § 95–96, IA § 19.5)
8.3 Root-nouns in -i (NRA III.H-30)
8.4 The comparative and superlative (IA § 20.1)
8.5 The secondary endings of the middle voice (VAV 228–235)
8.6 Syntax of Cases I: nominative, vocative (IA § 36.1)
8.7 Vocabulary
8.8 Exercises
Lesson 9
9.1 The laryngeals (ALF § 44–45)
9.2 ī-stems
9.3 The demonstratives
9.4 The athematic present I: The present root and imperfect (VAV 199–217, 227–234)
9.5 Syntax of cases II: Accusative (IA § 36.1)
9.6 Vocabulary
9.7 Exercises
Lesson 10
10.1 Consonantism I
10.2 Pronominal adjectives: ańiia- “other”, vīspa- “all” (ALF § 123, IA § 20.2)
10.3 Athematic present II
10.4 Syntax of cases III: The ablative (IA § 36.2)
10.5 Vocabulary
10.6 Exercises
Lesson 11
11.1 Consonantism II. The labials
11.2 Phonetic phenomena affecting u-stems
11.3 The u-stems (ALF § 93, IA § 19.5)
11.4 The ū-stems (ALF § 92, IA § 19.4)
11.5 The subjunctive (VAV 250–291)
11.6 Syntax of cases IV. The genitive and the dative (IA § 36.2–3)
11.7 Vocabulary
11.8 Exercises
Lesson 12
12.1 The declension of consonantal stems I: Root-nouns (ALF § 97, 99–102, IA § 18.1)
12.2 The optative (VAv 292–297)
12.3 Syntax of cases V: The instrumental (IA § 36.3)
12.4 Vocabulary
12.5 Exercises
Lesson 13
13.1 Consonantism III. Dentals (ALF § 64)
13.2 declension of consonantal stems II: Dental stems (ALF § 100, 105, IA § 18.13)
13.3 The imperative (VAV 314318, IA § 30.1c, 37.5)
13.4 Syntax of cases VI: The locative (IA § 36.3)
13.5 Vocabulary
13.6 Exercises
Lesson 14
14.1 Consonantism IV. Nasals (ALF § 15, IA § 11.3)
14.2 Nasal stems
14.3 The aorist (VAV 353–383, ALF § 187–202, IA § 27)
14.4 Prepositions and preverbs (IA § 23)
14.5 Vocabulary
14.6 Exercises
Lesson 15
15.1 consonantism V. The sibilants (ALF § 69–79, IA § 11.19–31)
15.2 ah-stems (ALF § 109, IA § 18.7)
15.3 The perfect (VAV 400–425, ALF § 203–210, IA § 28, 32.6)
15.4 The negation (VAv 244, 274, 314, 318, IA § 39)
15.5 Vocabulary
15.6 Exercises
Lesson 16
16.1 consonantism VI. Liquids (ALF § 56–58)
16.2 Stems in -ar and stems in -r /-n
16.3 Future tense (VAV 160)
16.4 Adverbial subordinate clauses introduced by a conjunction (Purpose, consequence, concession, comparison)
16.5 Vocabulary
16.6 Exercises
Lesson 17
17.1 Numbers
17.2 Participles
17.3 Infinitives (ALF § 211, IA § 33, VAV 338 SS)
17.4 Conditional and temporal clauses
17.5 Vocabulary
17.6 Exercises
Avestan – English Glossary
Overview tables