An introduction to Sogdian

Sogdian is one of the EASTERN MIDDLE IRANIAN LANGUAGES, Indo-European branch also including other tongues related to the Avestan, language of the Old Iranian, as:

* Choresmian (the same as Kharezmian or Khorezmian);

* Bactrian; and

* Khotanese.

One of the modern offsprings of the Iranian dialect named Sogdian is the language known today as Yaghnobi.

There are old Sogdian texts in four different alphabets or ways of writing: 1) Aramaic Old Sogdian script;; 2) Soghdian-Uighur; 3) Manichean; and 4) Nestorio-Christian.

Besides the EASTERN ones, there are also the WESTERN MIDDLE IRANIAN LANGUAGES, related to Old Persian, a tongue belonging to the Old Iranian branch, that include as well as 1) middle Persian & 2) Parthian, of course not treated in this excellent book by professor Prods Oktor Skjærvø, from Harvard, who presents to us not only easy-of-understanding lessons, but fine exercises too.