Journal of the stylistic of Persian poem and prose
volume Number 19، number In Volume 3، June 2026 ، issue Number 121

Suggestions for Codifying the Rules of Letter Connection in the Sasanian Pahlavi Script

Ebrahim Vasheghani Farahani (Author in Charge)

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The Sasanian Pahlavi script is a writing system that was used during the Sasanian period to record the Middle Persian language. This script has a very close relationship with the New Persian script, and they share many common issues and discussions. One of these debated issues concerns the connection and disconnection of characters and the changes that occur in letter forms when they join. So far, the introduction of letter-form changes in connected positions has mainly relied on the compilation of letter-combination tables, without establishing and presenting clear and systematic rules to describe the phenomenon of letter-form alteration. This article seeks to present considerations and proposals for describing and formulating rules governing letter-form changes in connected positions in the Sasanian Pahlavi script.

METHODOLOGY: The method of this study is based on documentary analysis of Sasanian Pahlavi texts, collecting diverse examples of letter-form changes in these texts, and analyzing and classifying them with the aim of proposing descriptive rules for letter connection and form alteration in the Sasanian Pahlavi script.

FINDINGS: The findings of this article show that the connection of letters in the Sasanian Pahlavi script—and the changes in letter forms that occur as a consequence of connection—contrary to what may appear at first glance, can in fact be described in a rule-governed manner. A shift in perspective toward the issue of letter connection is sufficient to resolve the apparent irregularity and lack of order in this domain. Although preparing a letter-combination table provides a quick and practical solution for guiding users of the Sasanian Pahlavi script in writing and reading, it does not lead to the formulation of rules and therefore keeps users dependent on referring to the table. By contrast, formulating rules for letter connection and their formal changes can enable users to write correctly and systematically, and help readers accurately identify letters and words.

CONCLUSION: Although the Sasanian Pahlavi script is written from right to left, the governing principles of letter connection operate from left to right. This shift in perspective can resolve the problems and ambiguities related to form changes when Pahlavi letters connect. With this revised viewpoint, it becomes clear that it is always the letter on the left that determines the change in the connected form. Based on this approach, Sasanian Pahlavi letters can be divided into two groups: flat-joining letters and curved-joining letters. Flat-joining letters connect simply to the horizontal extension of the preceding letter, whereas curved-joining letters grant a connecting curve to the preceding letter and, in doing so, eliminate its horizontal extension. This phenomenon accounts for the change in letter forms during connection, and on the basis of it, letter connection in the Sasanian Pahlavi script can be described systematically.

Keyword
Sassanian Pahlavi , Middle Persian , script , connectivity and disconnection