Milad Abedi
Milad Abedi was born in Tehran and discovered a passion for reading and studying Pahlavi (Zoroastrian Middle Persian) manuscripts at the age of fifteen. This dedication soon enabled him to read and perform complex grammatical analyses of the most challenging Pahlavi manuscripts with remarkable ease, treating them as if they were of a living language. Despite his enthusiasm, Milad initially pursued a BSc in Microbiology due to familial expectations. However, after gaining some independence, he succeeded in the National University Entrance Exam of Iran, earning a state scholarship to pursue an MA in Ancient Languages and Cultures of Iran at the country’s leading humanities institution.
During his Master’s studies, Milad undertook courses in Avestan, Sogdian, Old Persian, and historical grammar of Persian. He also led the Student Association of Linguistics, marking a period of increased academic involvement and leadership. Feeling a desire to expand beyond his mastery of Book Pahlavi and Middle Persian, Milad shifted his focus towards Elamite-Old Persian language contact. This new direction was enriched by a travel grant to attend the Leiden University Summer School in Linguistics in 2016, a formative experience that broadened his academic perspectives.
Milad completed his MA thesis in 2019, publishing two papers based on his research. In 2020, he applied for a PhD position with the University of Zurich and the Swiss National Science Foundation's "Sino-Indo-Iranica Rediviva" project. This role allowed him to synthesize his expertise in classical Persian poetry, Turkish, Arabic, Middle Persian orthography, and Avestan with his knowledge of Elamite and Old Persian, creating a comprehensive map of loanwords and language contact in ancient Iran. His research sheds light on cultural and linguistic exchanges between Iranian and non-Iranian speakers from 1000 BC to 800 AD, focusing on trade-based interactions.
Milad’s interests extend to Pahlavi calligraphy, classical Persian poetry, Swiss German, and cycling. His true passion, however, lies in teaching, where he shares his expertise in courses such as “Zoroastrian Middle Persian,” “Elamite-Iranian Language Contact,” and “Contact Linguistics in Ancient Iran.” A selection of his scholarly work is available on this page.
Supervisors: Agnes Korn (CNRS), Paul Widmer (UZH), Wolfgang Behr (UZH), and Wouter Henkelman (EPHE)
During his Master’s studies, Milad undertook courses in Avestan, Sogdian, Old Persian, and historical grammar of Persian. He also led the Student Association of Linguistics, marking a period of increased academic involvement and leadership. Feeling a desire to expand beyond his mastery of Book Pahlavi and Middle Persian, Milad shifted his focus towards Elamite-Old Persian language contact. This new direction was enriched by a travel grant to attend the Leiden University Summer School in Linguistics in 2016, a formative experience that broadened his academic perspectives.
Milad completed his MA thesis in 2019, publishing two papers based on his research. In 2020, he applied for a PhD position with the University of Zurich and the Swiss National Science Foundation's "Sino-Indo-Iranica Rediviva" project. This role allowed him to synthesize his expertise in classical Persian poetry, Turkish, Arabic, Middle Persian orthography, and Avestan with his knowledge of Elamite and Old Persian, creating a comprehensive map of loanwords and language contact in ancient Iran. His research sheds light on cultural and linguistic exchanges between Iranian and non-Iranian speakers from 1000 BC to 800 AD, focusing on trade-based interactions.
Milad’s interests extend to Pahlavi calligraphy, classical Persian poetry, Swiss German, and cycling. His true passion, however, lies in teaching, where he shares his expertise in courses such as “Zoroastrian Middle Persian,” “Elamite-Iranian Language Contact,” and “Contact Linguistics in Ancient Iran.” A selection of his scholarly work is available on this page.
Supervisors: Agnes Korn (CNRS), Paul Widmer (UZH), Wolfgang Behr (UZH), and Wouter Henkelman (EPHE)
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Papers by Milad Abedi
to Eastern Eurasia. Due to its length, the paper is published in two instalments: Part I covers archaeological, art historical and textual evidence for the earliest occurrence and popularization of donkeys in China. Part II contains three sections: Two sections explore possible etymologies of ancient zoonyms for donkeys or donkey-like animals in Iranian and Chinese languages respectively. In a final discussion, possible ways of transmission for the donkey from the Iranian plateau to the Chinese heartland are evaluated with regard to the cultural, linguistic, and topographic conditions reflected in the previous parts.
Due to its length, the paper is published in two instalments: Part I covers archaeological, art historical and textual evidence for the earliest occurrence and popularization of donkeys in China. Part II (in the fall issue) contains three sections: Two sections explore possible etymologies of ancient zoonyms for donkeys or donkey-like animals in Iranian and Chinese languages respectively. In a final discussion, possible ways of transmission for the donkey from the Iranian plateau to the Chinese heartland are evaluated with regard to the cultural, linguistic, and topographic conditions reflected in the previous parts.
plateau in the late second millennium BCE, at a time when the region had long been under the sway of an Elamite population. Because of the location of Persian settlements in the Iranian plateau, contact between Iranians and the local Elamite people was inevitable. Persian and Elamite populations were in contact for up to 500 years before the emergence of the Achaemenid Persian Empire in the former eastern Elamite territories. The Elamite language was adopted and strongly reshaped by speakers of Old Iranian, who probably acquired Elamite as a second language for the purpose of writing and perhaps for communication with native Elamites. The latest documented phase of the Elamite language is known as (royal) Achaemenid Elamite. The nature of the impact of Old Iranian on it goes beyond the adoption of loanwords, and includes morphological restructuring. The main body of evidence for this evolution comes from a considerable collection of clay tablets written in Elamite that constitutes the Persepolis Fortification Archive dated the reign of Darius I. Based on these considerations, the present paper will discuss examples of language contact between Persians and Elamites. This paper analyzes the Old Persian and Elamite versions of multilingual royal inscriptions in the Achaemenid royal necropolis, Naqsh-e Rostam in order to further elucidate the nature of language contact between Old Iranian and Elamite.
Denkard VII which considered as the “Legend of Zoroaster” has been the subject of several investigations. The first translation was by E.W. West (1897: The Sacred Books of the East. Vol. 47. Clarendon: Oxford University Press: 26); Many years later Marijan Molé (1967) published a French version of Book VII; in Persian, Ahmad Tafazzolī and Žāleh Āmūzgār (1993: 55–110) translated some parts of the book VII; the last version which is in Persian belongs to Rashed Muhassel (2012: Denkard VII. Tehran: Pažuheshgāh-e olūm-e ensāni). Chapter two, sentence 34 of Denkard VII contains a word transcribed as tōšn/tušn of which this essay aims to have a critical view.
https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/asia-2022-0012/html
Courses by Milad Abedi
Conferences by Milad Abedi
to Eastern Eurasia. Due to its length, the paper is published in two instalments: Part I covers archaeological, art historical and textual evidence for the earliest occurrence and popularization of donkeys in China. Part II contains three sections: Two sections explore possible etymologies of ancient zoonyms for donkeys or donkey-like animals in Iranian and Chinese languages respectively. In a final discussion, possible ways of transmission for the donkey from the Iranian plateau to the Chinese heartland are evaluated with regard to the cultural, linguistic, and topographic conditions reflected in the previous parts.
Due to its length, the paper is published in two instalments: Part I covers archaeological, art historical and textual evidence for the earliest occurrence and popularization of donkeys in China. Part II (in the fall issue) contains three sections: Two sections explore possible etymologies of ancient zoonyms for donkeys or donkey-like animals in Iranian and Chinese languages respectively. In a final discussion, possible ways of transmission for the donkey from the Iranian plateau to the Chinese heartland are evaluated with regard to the cultural, linguistic, and topographic conditions reflected in the previous parts.
plateau in the late second millennium BCE, at a time when the region had long been under the sway of an Elamite population. Because of the location of Persian settlements in the Iranian plateau, contact between Iranians and the local Elamite people was inevitable. Persian and Elamite populations were in contact for up to 500 years before the emergence of the Achaemenid Persian Empire in the former eastern Elamite territories. The Elamite language was adopted and strongly reshaped by speakers of Old Iranian, who probably acquired Elamite as a second language for the purpose of writing and perhaps for communication with native Elamites. The latest documented phase of the Elamite language is known as (royal) Achaemenid Elamite. The nature of the impact of Old Iranian on it goes beyond the adoption of loanwords, and includes morphological restructuring. The main body of evidence for this evolution comes from a considerable collection of clay tablets written in Elamite that constitutes the Persepolis Fortification Archive dated the reign of Darius I. Based on these considerations, the present paper will discuss examples of language contact between Persians and Elamites. This paper analyzes the Old Persian and Elamite versions of multilingual royal inscriptions in the Achaemenid royal necropolis, Naqsh-e Rostam in order to further elucidate the nature of language contact between Old Iranian and Elamite.
Denkard VII which considered as the “Legend of Zoroaster” has been the subject of several investigations. The first translation was by E.W. West (1897: The Sacred Books of the East. Vol. 47. Clarendon: Oxford University Press: 26); Many years later Marijan Molé (1967) published a French version of Book VII; in Persian, Ahmad Tafazzolī and Žāleh Āmūzgār (1993: 55–110) translated some parts of the book VII; the last version which is in Persian belongs to Rashed Muhassel (2012: Denkard VII. Tehran: Pažuheshgāh-e olūm-e ensāni). Chapter two, sentence 34 of Denkard VII contains a word transcribed as tōšn/tušn of which this essay aims to have a critical view.
https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/asia-2022-0012/html