Uses Persian-based Arabic script; Latin transliteration common online and in linguistic materials.
Nastaʿlīq styleLatinized spellings online
Word Order
SOV (Subject–Object–Verb); auxiliaries and clitics follow Caspian-style; light verbs abundant.
Analytic TAMLight verbs
ISO Codes
ISO 639-3: mzn • Glottocode: maza1305
Also called TabariMazani/Mazeruni
Difficulty
Moderate: SOV + unique noun phrase order + new phonetics; grammar lighter than Persian.
Predictable stressShared Persian roots
What Makes It Distinct
Mazandarani features a modified–head noun phrase: adjectives and possessors usually precede the noun, unlike Persian.
It has a voiced uvular fricative [ʁ] for ق/غ and extensive light-verb usage such as “laugh do” or “help give.”
Word order is SOV with periphrastic tense-aspect markers.
Sound & Spelling Tips
Uvular [ʁ]: deep, fricative sound; not a hard g.
Vowels: six main vowels, plus regional allophones; coastal vs. highland differences.
Loan adaptation: Persian words adapt to local stress and Caspian phonotactics.
Grammar Snapshot
SOV syntax: subject and object precede verb.
Modified–Head NP: possessor + adjective + noun (opposite of Persian).
Light verbs: predicates built with “do/give/become”.
Auxiliaries: used periphrastically for aspect and tense.
Dialects
Central Mazandarani (Āmol–Bābol–Sāri) forms the basis for mutual intelligibility. Western borders blend with Gilaki, eastern with Gorgani.
Phrasebook (Romanized)
Salom (hello)Lotfan (please)Merci (thank you)Šoma xošīn? (how are you?)
Mazandarani Builder (NP • SOV • Light-Verb Frame)
Build word-order examples interactively. This tool helps visualize Mazandarani syntax.
Use the builder to grasp SOV order and modified–head structure. Regional endings vary.
