The Ecbatanic Language Group

This paper introduces the Jewish vernaculars of Nehavand and Khonsar and proposes the term “Ecbatanic”—derived from Ecbatana, the ancient Greek name for Hamadan—to avoid confusion with Judeo-Hamadani proper. The idea emerged during my study of Khonsar, the only Persian town in which both Muslims and Jews spoke Central Plateau-type languages. Surprisingly, these dialects differed: while Muslim Khonsari aligns with its expected areal pattern, Judeo-Khonsari shows exclusive agreements with Judeo-Borujerdi and, ultimately, with Judeo-Hamadani. Considering Hamadan and Borujerd are outliers from a “Central Plateau” perspective, and Judeo-Hamadani is not a continuation of the extinct dialect of Hamadan, I argue that the Jewish dialects of Hamadan and nearby towns formed due to migration, probably not very old, into this “Ecbatanic” linguistic zone from various localities where Central Plateau varieties are spoken. This hypothesis is reinforced by the hybrid nature of Ecbatanic in terms of both vocabulary and morphosyntax.