1. Literature:
Under ancient Persian literature may be classed the Pahlavi (a) inscriptions of Sapor at Hajiabad and elsewhere, (b) legends on Sasanian coins, (c) translations of certain parts of the Avesta, made under the Sasanides for the most part, (d) such books as the Arta Viraf Namak, the Zad Sparam, Dinkart, Ormazd Yasht, Patet, Bundishnih, etc. These are mostly of religious import. The Arta Viraf Namak gives a description of the visit of the young dastur Arta Viraf, to the Zoroastrian heaven. The Bundihishnih ("creation") tells how Ormazd and Ahriman came into being, and treats of the 9,000 years' struggle between them. Pahlavi, as written (the so-called Huzvaresh), contains an immense number of Aramaic words, but the Persian terminations attached to these show that they were read as Persian: thus yehabunt-ano is written, and dat-ano ("to give") is read. Pahlavi works that are no longer extant are the sources of the Vis o Ramin, Zaratusht Namah, Shahnamah, etc.
2. Comparison:
In order to understand the relation in which the Persian dialects and stages in the history of the language stand to one another, it may be well to subjoin a list of words in Old Persian, Avestic, Pahlavi and modern Persian. It will be seen that Ayestic is not the source of the Aryan part of the present tongue.
MEANING AVESTIC OLD PERSIAN PAHLAVI MODERN PERSIAN
Friend.... zusta daushta dost dust
Hand...... zasta dasta dast dast
Bactreia.. Bakhdhi Bakhtri Bahr Balkh
Straight.. drva(sta)@@ duruva(sta) drust durust
Greatest.. mazista@@ mathishta mahist mahin
Most right razista@@ rasta rast rast
Abode..... nmana maniya man man-dan ("to remain")
(Gathic
demana)
@@superlatives
LITERATURE.
Achaemenian inscriptions, Korsowitz, Spiegel, Rawlinson: Geiger and Kuhn (editors), Grundriss der iranischen Philologie; Darmesteter, Etudes iraniennes; Spiegel, Eranische Altertumskunde; Noldeke, Aufsatze zur persischen Geschichte; W. Geiger, Ostiranische Kultur im Alterium; Geldner's edition of Avesta; Professor Browne, Literary History of Persia; De Harlez, Manuel de la langue de l' Avesta, Manuel de la langue Pehlevie, and Introduction to the Avesta; Haug, Book of Artd Viraf; Cook, Origins of Religion and Language.
W. St. Clair Tisdall