Bakhtic

Bakhtic refers to a group of languages belonging to the Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family. These languages are primarily spoken in the historical region of Bactria, which corresponds roughly to modern-day northern Afghanistan, as well as parts of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The term "Bakhtic" is sometimes used interchangeably with "Bactrian," though the latter more specifically refers to the ancient language attested in inscriptions.

The ancient Bactrian language is known from inscriptions dating from the 1st to the 7th centuries CE. It is the only surviving member of the East Iranian languages of antiquity. While ancient Bactrian is extinct, several modern Bakhtic languages are believed to be its direct descendants. These modern languages are often referred to collectively as the Neo-Bactrian languages.

Due to the limited corpus of ancient Bactrian and the relatively small number of speakers of its modern descendants, research on Bakhtic languages is less extensive than on other major Iranian language groups. However, studies focus on linguistic reconstruction, comparative analysis with related languages, and the documentation of contemporary dialects. The historical context of Bactria as a crossroads of ancient civilizations has also influenced the linguistic landscape, with potential loanwords and influences from neighboring languages.