Modern Spoken Persian in Contemporary Iranian Novels

An analysis of selected 21st century novels

By (author) Katarzyna Wąsala

Book cover: Modern Spoken Persian in Contemporary Iranian Novels

Extent: 208 pages

Publisher: V&R unipress

Subjects: Language & Linguistics, Literary Studies

Series: TRANSitions

Language: English

Hardback (Published)

(October 2023)

ISBN: 9783847116387

6.34 x 9.33 inches

Price: $82.00

In stock

Katarzyna Wasala studies the relations between spoken and written registers of Modern Persian of Iran in contemporary literature in search for patterns and predictions for the future development of this language.


One of the characteristic features of the linguistic situation of contemporary Iran is the coexistence of two standards of Modern Persian: the written and the spoken. While literature is generally composed in the written variety, the typically “spoken” forms are also to be found in the literary text. Modern spoken Persian in Contemporary Iranian Novels is a study of these. A scrutinous analysis of five carefully selected novels with methods drawing mostly from the register analysis seeks answers to questions such as: what features are characteristic to the spoken variety of language, how are they woven into the literary language, does the relationship between spoken and written registers change over time and how can this process affect the future development of Persian language?

  • By (author) Katarzyna Wąsala