MacRaven - Dave Haxton's Weblog

Sat, 29 Jul 2006

Iranian leader bans usage of foreign words

I wonder if they're going to replace the word "Sharia" with it's Persian equivalent? How about "halal" or "haram"? Oh, wait: those words are "sacred", they're Arabic from the Koran!

The problem here isn't a foreign name for "elastic loaves", it's a lack of elasticity in thinking on the part of the leadership. I wonder if there's a Persian word for "insane, saber-rattling loudmouth"?

AP - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has ordered government and cultural bodies to use modified Persian words to replace foreign words that have crept into the language, such as "pizzas" which will now be known as "elastic loaves," state media reported Saturday.

(link) [Yahoo! News: Top Stories]

/Politics | 7 writebacks | permanent link

On 7/29/2006 12:06:47
Bjorngrímnir wrote

Yep....

....the word for that is "Ahmadinejad." :D

On 7/29/2006 12:50:53
SB wrote

Well, the French also have a language committee that routinely erradicates foreign words and phrases from the language. If I'm not mistaken, it's charged with coming up with new words for technologies as they arise too.

On 7/29/2006 13:08:15
Dave H wrote

Words

Ah, Bjorn, you're right - but Farsi does seem to have developed several synonyms for this phrase in the last few years. For example, "Khomeini"... And nota bene, SB, that French was once considered *the* world language, and was used extensively in diplomacy and international trade. Most countries still print their passports in the native tongue and French. But it began to lose ground as the Académie Française became more and more conservative, and hence more rigid and inflexible. Languages gain currency by flexibility and adaptability - and if the present trend in Iran continues, Persian is destined for the ash-heap of history. Be well, Dave H.

On 7/30/2006 06:51:42
Bjorngrímnir wrote

Dave: LOL :D SB: I think that there are Germans who would be jealous of the French in this regard. As it is, last I heard, there are a high percentage of older people in Germany who are unable to fully understand what they are hearing on television, because so many English words have permeated the language. For me, it's also hard to understand sometimes...not because I can't understand English, but because listening to Germans rattling on, and then throwing an English word in out of nowhere, complete with German accent and German grammatical modifications, can be a little confusing :) What's really fun is listening to some of the locals rattle off in Platt, which retains more of the older commonalities between English and German. My wife tells me that it should be easy for me to learn Platt, but I have my reservations (although I do think it sounds cooler than standard High German).

On 7/30/2006 16:31:03
SB wrote

I actually understand what you're saying about breaking out into English in the middle of a different language. I'm very fond of Japanese anime and movies, I understand about one word in thirty, better if I'm watching something that deals with the limited vocabulary I'm familiar with. To suddendly have the people on screen start throwing out foreign words is jarring, and throws off my concentration. I remember I was watching one show where not only did the Japanese break off, but the subtitles also switched off and I was listening to Americans speak English. I couldn't understand them and I couldn't follow the dialogue! I think you use different parts of your brain to process different languages. Spanglish kills me, because while I understand most Spanish and can muddle my way through, and of course I'm fluent in English, I can't understand when people switch rapidly between the two. I still don't think the remedy is to become insular, I think it's just important to have agreed upon rules for dealing with foreign words and phrases. And rules for when neologisms should and should not be accepted (ahem, Webster's dictionary!) In the mean time, maybe we can just start an international committee to kill most internet slang.

On 7/31/2006 06:42:33
Bjorngrímnir wrote

LOL...liek, 13375p34k iz teh kewl ;) Seriously, though, I agree that being insular isn't the way to go; but I also think that preserving languages (along with the cultures that create them) is a good idea. Some of the schools in the northern and coastal regions of Germany promote the speaking of Platt, along with modern High German - I think this serves two purposes, one is so that the kids will know how to speak with their grandparents and great-grandparents (many of whom might speak Platt quite regularly), and also to try to prevent the language from dying completely. I think that there is a Navajo belief that, when the Navajo language is spoken no more, the Navajo people will cease to exist. I think that's a very appropriate perspective on the importance of a language in its connection to people. I agree with your idea about implementing some form of standardization...but I would only wonder where the line would be drawn between creative adaptation and expression, and regulation. And sarcasm aside, I agree with you - a lot of the Internet slang is an annoyance, and I sometimes wonder how long it will be until there are serious efforts undertaken to preserve the English language.

On 7/31/2006 07:23:42
Arwin wrote

Actually it is Farsi

To paraphrase Homer (Simpson), "Those Persians, they have a word for everything."

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