Bid Parsi

Bid Parsi, also sometimes referred to as "Bidpaarsi," is a dialect of Persian spoken primarily by the Jewish community in the city of Kashan, Iran. It is classified as a Judeo-Persian language, meaning it is a variety of Persian historically and currently spoken by Jewish populations, often characterized by linguistic features that distinguish it from the Persian spoken by their Muslim neighbors.

Bid Parsi exhibits influences from Hebrew and Aramaic, particularly in its religious vocabulary and some grammatical structures. These influences are a common feature of Judeo-Persian languages and reflect the importance of these languages in Jewish religious and cultural life.

The dialect is endangered due to a combination of factors, including emigration of the Jewish population from Iran, assimilation into the broader Persian-speaking community, and the decline in intergenerational transmission of the language. Efforts to document and preserve Bid Parsi are ongoing, often involving linguistic research, oral history projects, and attempts to create educational materials. The number of fluent speakers is estimated to be relatively small, and maintaining its vitality requires dedicated community and scholarly engagement.