Comparing Old Persian and Sanskrit: A Linguistic Analysis

Old Persian, the language of the Achaemenid Empire (550-330 BCE), is an ancient Iranian language belonging to the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family. Its unique phonetics and vocabulary distinguish it from both modern Persian and other languages like Hindi and Hebrew. This article explores the phonetic characteristics of Old Persian and compares it with Sanskrit, another ancient Indian language, to highlight their differences.

Phonetics and Sound Characteristics of Old Persian

Old Persian had a rich palette of sounds, including some that are no longer present in modern Persian. For example, it featured certain aspirated consonants that are absent in its contemporary descendant. Vowels in Old Persian were both short and long, with distinct pronunciations that are not found in modern Persian.

Comparison to Modern Persian

Modern Persian (Farsi) has undergone significant changes since Old Persian. These changes include simplifications in its phonetic inventory and the loss of certain sounds. The script and vocabulary of modern Persian have also been heavily influenced by Arabic, leading to a substantial divergence in sound and structure.

Comparison to Hindi

Despite sharing some common ancestry, Old Persian and Hindi diverged over millennia. Hindi has been significantly influenced by Sanskrit and later languages such as Arabic and Persian. This has led to considerable differences in sound and structure, with Hindi featuring distinct phonetic elements not present in Old Persian.

Comparison to Hebrew

Hebrew, a Semitic language, has a different phonetic system compared to Old Persian. The two languages would have sounded quite different, with Hebrew featuring emphatic consonants that are absent in Old Persian. This highlights the significant linguistic variations between these ancient languages.

Comparison to Sanskrit

For a comparative analysis of Old Persian with a language in the same region, Sanskrit serves as a fitting counterpart. We provide two distinct versions to demonstrate this comparison. The first version attempts to use as many cognates as possible, while the second version is fully idiomatic in classical Sanskrit.

Maximal Cognates - Non-idiomatic Sanskrit Version

The following Sanskrit version attempts to use as many cognates as possible from the original Old Persian text:

aham Dhāryavasu kāta
mahān kāta kāta-nām
Pārsānām kāta dasyūnām
Viitāvasya putra Arāmasya napāt
Sakhāmanīīya
Asati Dhāryavasu kāta - 
"mama Pitā Viitāva
Viitāvasya pitā
Arāma
Arāmasya pitā
Aryāramna
Aryāramnasya pitā
Cipi
Cipe pitā
Sakhāmanī."
Asati Dhāryavasu kāta -
"asmāt heto vayam
Sakhāmanīīya
asyāmahe
sacā
pūrvyata amātyā smasi
sacā
pūrvyata
tyat
asmākam
kulam
kaitam āsa/āsīt."

More Idiomatic Classical Sanskrit Version

Here is a more idiomatic classical Sanskrit rendition:

aham mahārāja Dhāryavasu rājā rājām rājā 
Pārsānām
 rājā sarva-deānām
Viitāvasya putra Arāmasya napāt
Sakhāmanīīya

iti bravīti mahārāja Dhāryavasu.

"mama Pitā Viitāva
Viitāvasya pitā
Arāma
Arāmasya pitā
Aryāramna
Aryāramnasya pitā
Cipi
Cipe pitā
Sakhāmanī"
iti bravīti mahārāja Dhāryavasu -
"asmāt heto vayam
Sakhāmanīīya

brūyāmahe

purā prabhitti paramabhārakā sma

purā prabhitti asmākam kulam

rājakulam asti."

The Sanskrit comparisons demonstrate the distinct phonetic and syntactic differences between Old Persian and Sanskrit. Old Persian, while belonging to the same language family, developed its unique characteristics over time, resulting in a language that bears no close resemblance to Sanskrit in terms of sound and structure.