Issues and Criteria of Naming Language Varieties with Regard to Language Varieties in Iran

The main objective of this research is to study the reason for multiple names for a single language. To this end, the impact of social and political variables on naming language varieties and the importance of paying attention to the kinship relations and structural similarities of languages are investigated. Then, the registered names for Iranian language varieties in the software of the “Linguistic Atlas of Iran” are classified and analyzed. This research is methodologically inductive, and a descriptive–analytical method has been used. In conclusion, it is argued that naming language varieties is under the influence of non-linguistic social, political, and geographical factors. To distinguish language varieties from each other and determine their exact names, one must pay attention to the distinguishing linguistic features and their main lexicons, the effect of long-term linguistic contact of language communities, and the speakers’ feelings about their linguistic varieties. In different parts of the article, the explications are documented with relevant examples.