Multilingualism and Education in the Parsi Community of India in the 16th and 17th Centuries: A Historical and Linguistic Analysis

The Parsi community of India, one of the oldest Iranian migrant minorities, entered a new phase of social and cultural consolidation during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Having migrated from Iran to the western coasts of India following political and religious pressures after the establishment of Islam, this group organized a network of religious, commercial, and administrative relations during this period.



The central question of this study is: Which languages were used in the religious and social education of the Parsis during this era, and what functions did they serve?



Adopting a descriptive-analytical approach and based on historical and linguistic sources, this research explores the role of language in the educational and identity structures of the Parsi community. The findings indicate that multilingualism within this group was not merely the result of living in a multilingual environment, but rather a conscious strategy for survival, distinction, and empowerment.



Avestan and Pahlavi served ritualistic and identity functions; Persian and Gujarati, as languages of education and communication, acted as instruments for the transmission of knowledge and intergenerational continuity; and proficiency in Gujarati and Portuguese within the spheres of trade and external relations provided both economic and social capital.



The Parsi educational system was thus founded upon a linguistic division of labor, wherein language simultaneously fulfilled ritual, educational, and status-related roles.