The Management of Time in Khāvarāni Dialect

An investigation of Iranian languages and dialects can clarify some hidden cultural characteristics of the speakers. This study has been conducted to show how speakers of the Khāvarāni dialect, a Persian dialect in Fārs province in the south of Iran, have divided time into some classifications. The classifications of day and night in the dialect are almost as numerous as standard time classifications. The classifications of time in the dialect are 24 sections, like standard classifications. In spite of an equal classification in number, theamount of time in each two sections is not equal. Early in the morning and evening when job starts or ends, each section is about 20 minutes; while in some other sections it may get to one and a half hour. The study shows that the speakers have managed time both in day and night properly. More than half of the words and expressions belong to evening, night and early morning in the dialect. This study indicates that the people have been active in using their hours and managing their time. The study also shows that the bases of the time classifications in the dialect are the times when Muslims say their prayers in the morning, at noon or in the evening. Regarding the calendar of the dialect, they have used Now-Ruz (the first day of Farvardin, i.e. March 21st) as the base. They have divided the calendar into two main sections: the days after Now-Ruz, and the days before that. They have also used some natural times like when a proper star appears in the sky or a fruit can be picked as some sub-classifications of the year.