Parthian

This article argues that the opposition between Old Iranian *č and *ǰ was preserved in Manichaean Parthian not only word-initially, but also in postvocalic position, at least at the time of the introduction of the Manichaean script. The approach is phonological, and attempts to show that Pth. /č/ (< OIr. *č), written and , and Pth. /ž/ (< OIr. *ǰ and *ž), written , are consistently distinguished in the Manichaean script. Pth. /č/ may have developed a postvocalic allophone [ ǰ] (not affecting the phonematic opposition), which might have been a motivation for the use of the letter . Transcriptions into Sogdian script and the cantillations suggest a coalescence of the Pth. phonemes, but it is not clear whether this is a later development of the Pth. language itself or a peculiarity of the liturgical pronunciation of Parthian as practised by Manichaeans in Central Asia.1