Do Iranians speak Farsi or Persian? Well they are both the same. So which is correct? And where does Persian come from anyway? The script is Arabic, but does that mean it's from Arabia? Actually, no.....and did you know that ‘pyjamas’ is a Persian word? Read on if you want things to be clearer.
Brian Bull
Sorting it out - Iranian, Persian, and Farsi - What do Persians Speak Today?
"Parthians, Medes and Elamites." are three evocative names that provide an instant link between the New Testament and the territory known today as Iran. For parts of that land two thousand years ago were home to people of those three nationalities. In Acts 2 v.9 they head the list of those attending the first-ever Christian evangelistic rally and listening in amazement to the message of the Apostles. Their amazement was due largely to the fact that they could hear the messa
ge in their own languages. Curiosity as to what those languages were like, and any links between them and what is spoken in the region now, has in the past prompted much study at a rather academic level. Of more general interest and importance, though, is the question: what do the people of Iran speak today?
The answer is not as simple as one might expect.
These days fewer people make the old mistake of confusing Iran with Iraq and presuming that its people are part of the Arabic-speaking
world. However, some still take it for granted that there must be a language called 'Iranian', spoken exclusively in that country, and the mother tongue of all its inhabitants. They are just as mistaken on all three counts. The name 'Iranian' is in fact used for a whole group of different languages and dialects encountered over a much wider area than Iran alone. One of them is indeed the official national language of Iran, but this is usually referred to in English as 'Persian'. While Persian is only one of this wider group of languages, it is also just one (albeit the most important) of a dozen or so different languages spoken within Iran itself. Incidentally, it is claimed by some that Persian is the mother tongue of only about half the total population of Iran, but accurate statistics on this are not available. In passing it may be noted that in recent years the practice has grown up on both sides of the Atlantic of calling the national language by its Persian name 'Farsi', usually with a shamelessly English or American pronunciation. This is as inconsistent with normal English usage as it would be to ask someone if they spoke 'Fronsay' or 'Doitch', when long-established English equivalents (viz. 'French' and 'German') are in common use1.
The Minority Languages
Iran - its size and its languages . . . It may come as a surprise to discover the true vastness of Iran as a country - that while its population is only about a fifth more than that of the United Kingdom alone, its land area is nearly equivalent to that of the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Spain added together, or in American terms nearly one fifth that of the whole of the United States. The distance across Iran from north-west to south-east is about the same as that from London to Kiev in the Ukraine, or from Boston down to Miami. In such a huge land is it surprising that, during many centuries without modern means of communication and travel, more than a dozen different language communities have persisted and retained their own identity? Before we look at Persian itself in more detail, a glance at the other languages will help to set the scene. Generally speaking they are associated with the border regions of Iran rather than the central plateau, and all belong to one or other of the Indo-European, Semitic or Turkic language groups. Where written forms of these languages exist, Arabic script is normally used, except for Syriac and Armenian, each of which has its own distinctive alphabet.
Semitic . . . From the point of view of the numbers of speakers in Iran, the two Semitic languages are the least significant. Firstly, there are the dialects of modern East Aramaic. The best known of these is Surit, also variously called 'Syriac', 'Chaldaean' and 'Assyrian'. These dialects are spoken by the descendants of sizeable Christian communities that sprang up mainly in north-western Iran from early in the second century A.D., well before the advent of Islam. Secondly, there is Arabic, used by small communities of much later vintage whose forebears settled along the Iranian coasts of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. In modern times there has never been more than a small minority in Iran for whom these Semitic languages have been the mother tongue. Today the total numbers are smaller than ever. Following the turmoil of the revolution in Iran and the subsequent Iran-Iraq war it is not surprising that many of these people have sought safety by emigrating. However, as will be seen later, in stark contrast with the comparatively few native speakers of Arabic left in Iran today, there is a massive Arabic linguistic 'presence' lurking within Persian language and literature.
Turkic . . . Turning to the more widely spoken Turkic languages, Iran has three, which are closely related to one another and to the language of Turkey itself. They are spoken by people whose ancestors settled in northern Iran between the seventh and eleventh centuries A.D. Azeri is spoken by the majority of people in the northwestern region of Iran known as Azerbaijani. Turkmeni (or 'Turkomen') speakers inhabit a much smaller area in north-eastern Iran at the southern end of the Caspian Sea, adjacent to Turkmenistan. Qashqa'i is to be found further south and west in the Fars region, spoken by tribes people who traditionally migrate twice-yearly - together with their cattle, horses and camels - between upland grazing areas for the summer and lowlands for the winter. This continues to be the lifestyle of many Qashqa'is, although in recent years many others have opted for a settled life in the towns.
Indo-European . . . The remaining languages in Iran, like Persian itself, are of Indo-European origin. The less well-known include Talysh, Gilaki and Mazandarani, languages spoken in northern Iran along the low lying coastal strip between the Elborz Mountains and the Caspian coast. In the southeast, Baluchi is spoken, a variant of the language to be found over the border in the Pakistan province of Baluchistan. To the west, between Isfahan and the northern end of the Persian Gulf, is the region traditionally roamed by the Luri tribes, of which the best known outside Iran are the Bakhtiaris. Their migratory lifestyle is superficially similar to that of the Turkic Qashqa'is, but their languages are Indo-European and close to Persian. Also closely related and second only in importance to Persian are the various dialects of Kurdish, which are spoken also by significant numbers in Iraq, Syria and Turkey. The Kurds can be identified in historical records certainly from the time of the Islamic conquest, and possibly as far back as Greek and Roman times. Most of the Kurdish speakers in Iran are to be found in the north and west of the country, although small pockets exist in other areas also.
Armenian - a special case . . . Amongst the Indo-European languages spoken in Iran, East Armenian is the odd one out in two respects. Firstly, there is the distinctive nature of the language itself. Whereas Kurdish, Gilaki, Bakhtiari and the others referred to above are closely related to Persian, Armenian is no more than a distant cousin. Quite apart from its unique script, the grammar and sound system of Armenian are sufficiently distinct for it to be seen as a quite separate sub-group of Indo-European in its own right. Secondly, there is the unusual way it arrived on the scene. For the Armenians in Iran today derive not from ancient migrations but from a political situation that arose a mere four hundred years ago. The then inhabitants of Armenia to the north of Iran had a reputation for skill in commerce and craftsmanship. These qualities were just what Shah Abbas the Great needed for his development of Isfahan as the new capital of Iran. He used a mixture of coercion and inducements to cause many thousands to leave Armenia and move to Isfahan. However, as they were Christians, they were housed, not in Muslim Isfahan itself, but in a satellite town south of the river, named (New) Jolfa, after the city in Armenia which many of them had been forced to leave.
The National Language
Persian - the national language of Iran . . . Given all this linguistic diversity within Iran, the importance of the national language, Persian, as a unifying influence and lingua franca is obvious. It is not easy to characterise a language in a few lines, but in the case of Persian the gardener's technique of 'grafting' offers a helpful analogy. The Indo-European grammar and basic vocabulary of Old and Middle Persian that held sway until the Islamic conquest were like the 'rootstock'. The coming of Islam was like the start of a lengthy grafting process that gradually brought numerous Arabic words and expressions, poetic forms and even some grammatical usages into the language that has, over the centuries, evolved into modern Persian. After a rose or fruit tree has been grafted, the two parts merge and develop together as a new entity. In the same way, Persian has not merely borrowed superficially from Arabic, but has absorbed and adapted these borrowings in such a way as to make them indispensable. A parallel can be drawn with the English language, from which it would be unthinkable to root out the words that at one time or another have been imported from Latin and Greek. During the reign of the last Shah and that of his father, Reza Shah, before him, determined efforts were made for political and nationalistic reasons to 'purify' the Persian language by discouraging the use of words of Arabic and European origin and reintroducing (and in some cases inventing!) 'indigenous' Persian vocabulary. Despite the enthusiasm of an Academy and the strong lead given by the state-controlled media, the project lacked popular appeal and failed miserably. Since the revolution in 1979, of course, the pendulum has to some extent swung the other way in favour of Arabic, the language of Islam.
A Bird's Eye View of Learning Persian
1. How easy is it? For the would-be student familiar only with English and West European languages, Persian is in some ways relatively easy to learn, but in others much more difficult. The sound system, for instance, is relatively simple, with only a few sounds that do not come easily to those from an English-speaking background. What little stress accent exists is mostly very predictable. The grammar of Persian likewise is not difficult to master. Those for whom French verbs hold no terrors will have few problems with their equivalents in Persian, which overall is only a little more inflected than English.
2. How hard it is -- Although the sounds and grammar are not too difficult, there are three aspects of Persian that are far from easy. Firstly, the script for many people is daunting and a psychological deterrent! It consists of the Arabic alphabet to which a few additions have been made to cope with Persian sounds that do not occur in Arabic. Not only is it the completely unfamiliar alphabet that deters some people but also the fact that it reads from right to left. Other features to be mastered are that the form of most letters varies much more than in English according to their position in a word, and that the sound of a word depends as much on the dots around it as on the mere shape of its letters! To make life even more difficult, the short vowel sounds are not normally written at all, so that without some prior knowledge of what the words should sound like, a text cannot reliably be read aloud!
Secondly, learning the vocabulary of Persian is hard work. When studying French, German or Spanish, for example, the English-speaking student has only to learn a few sound shifts and spelling conventions to be able to tap into a vast supply of ostensibly 'foreign' words that are in fact very similar to their English equivalents. This is not the case with Persian. Although it has borrowed many words from French and English, particularly medical and other technical terms, the basic vocabulary is largely unfamiliar territory to the English-speaking student. This is mainly due to the huge influx of Arabic words and phrases that has already been referred to. Indo-European origins shared by Persian and English show up recognisably in a number of words, for example: setâreh (= star); mâdär (= mother); and bärâdär (= brother). [Note: In Persian the distinction between the long 'a' sound (somewhere between the southern English 'a' in 'father' and 'o' in 'mosque') and the short 'a' sound (roughly as in northern English 'cat') is a very important one. In this article the two sounds have been represented by â and ä respectively.] However, in most cases the English and Persian forms have diverged too much over the centuries for their common ancestry to be much help to the student. At the same time, a few words of Persian origin have entered the English language, for instance: dervish (from Persian: därveesh ); khaki (from: khâkee - literally 'the colour of earth'); and caravanserai (from: kârvânsärâi ). The English word 'paradise' comes (via Greek) from the Persian word ferdous. The words chess and check are derived (via Old French) from the Persian word shâh (= king), and the term checkmate comes from the two words shâh mât (= the king is struck dumb, or helpless). Incidentally, this derivation is reflected more clearly in the Russian word for 'chess', which is shakhmaty. The word pyjamas is also interesting. Originating long ago in the Persian words pâ (= leg, foot) and jâmeh (= clothing), (possibly to distinguish new-fangled trouser-like garments which clothed the legs individually from the then traditional skirt-like robe worn by both men and women), this Western word with its modern connotations has now been exported back to Iran in the form peezhâmeh. Unfortunately such interesting cases are few and far between and do little to ease the process of getting to grips with Persian vocabulary.
Style of language is a third factor causing difficulties for the would-be student of Persian. One problem area is the difference between formal and literary language on the one hand and colloquial usage on the other. This distinction occurs in most languages, but the gap is particularly wide in the
Persian of Iran. There is no alternative for the student but to learn parallel sets of words and usages and know when it is appropriate to use these different forms. The language of a news bulletin, a speech or a magazine article is very different from that of a friendly chat or a personal letter. Not only foreign students but sometimes even native speakers of Persian fall into the trap of either sounding uneducated by using colloquialisms in a formal context, or appearing pedantic and pretentious by using bookish expressions in ordinary conversation. As with other languages, including English, colloquial forms of Persian vary from region to region. Another aspect of the 'style' problem is the use of honorifics. In Iran traditional courtesy has required that elaborately polite forms of address should be used to those considered socially superior. For example, while tradespeople, servants, children and close friends are told merely to 'come' or 'go', those for whom respect (or expediency) demands more courteous treatment are invited to 'bring or take their honoured presences'. Deciding on the right form of address for the right person has always been a minefield for the student of Persian newly arrived in Iran. In recent years, however, particularly among the younger generation of Iranians, these traditional forms have been less rigorously observed, and in the Persian-speaking regions outside Iran they tend hardly to have been used at all.
Persian Beyond the Borders of Iran
As was pointed out earlier, it is a mistake to think of Persian as a language spoken exclusively within the national boundaries of Iran. To the west of Iran a minority of Persian speakers can be found in several of the Arab countries on the far side of the Gulf. Over to the east, a form of Persian (often referred to as 'Dari') is one of the two official languages of Afghanistan. It is used as a lingua franca in all areas of that country, but is particularly widely spoken in the northern and western provinces, as is a variant called 'Hazaragi' in the central Hazarajat region. [Note: The other official language of Afghanistan is Pashto, also one of the Iranian group of Indo-European languages. Like Persian, it uses a modified form of Arabic script, but its sound system and grammar are closer to those of the northern Indian languages. Incidentally, while most Pashto speakers in the southern and eastern areas of Afghanistan seem to be conversant with Dari, it is rare to find Dari speakers who know (or will admit to knowing) any Pashto.] Tajikistan, to the north east of Afghanistan, is another largely Persian-speaking country. In earlier centuries the Persian language proved very resilient in the face of Mongol and Turkish invaders. Instead of ousting it in favour of their own languages, they tended to adopt it as a convenient medium for government and administration. In the process many Persian words found their way into Ottoman Turkish, only to be eased out again in the late 1920s by Kemal Ataturk in his campaign to 'purify' the language of non-Turkish elements. Meanwhile Persian has assimilated a number of Turkish words into its own vocabulary. In the Indian subcontinent Persian was even more influential than in Turkey as the language of administration, but in the course of several centuries local influences caused the language as used in British India to diverge considerably from its Iranian original.
Language - or dialect? The answer to the question: "Are Dari and Tajik dialects of Persian, or distinct languages in their own right?" often depends on who is being asked, and on whether their point of view is based on linguistics or merely on patriotism. Afghan and Iranian speakers of Persian usually accept that basically they speak the same language. For them the argument is over which of the two variants is the genuine article and which is the debased and corrupted version.
Which Alphabet?
In Iran and Afghanistan the use of Arabic script for the writing of Persian has for the most part remained unquestioned. Reza Shah, who came to power in Iran in 1920, was a great admirer of Kamal Ataturk and his westernising reforms in Turkey, which had included the drastic step of switching written Turkish from Arabic script to the Roman alphabet. Reza Shah, however, was concerned less with modernising than with nationalism and emphasis on the historical identity of Iran. The possibility of adopting the Roman alphabet in Iran was considered for a brief period, but was eventually rejected. For the Tajiks, though, life has been much more complicated. For a long time after Central Asia had come under Czarist control in the nineteenth century, Tajik continued to use the Arabic script. It was not until ten years or so after the Russian Revolution that the first change came, and even then not to the Russian Cyrillic script, as might have been expected, but to the Roman alphabet. This continued to be used until shortly after the start of the Second World War, when Roman letters gave way to Cyrillic. In 1994, after the break-up of the Soviet Union, yet another change was launched - this time back to the Roman alphabet. Apart from the question of alphabets Tajik is distinct from the Persian of Iran and Afghanistan in the number of borrowings it has made both from Russian and from neighbouring Central Asian languages like Uzbek. However, from a purely linguistic point of view, it is doubtful whether this is enough to justify describing it as a separate language rather than one of several variant forms.
Persian Literature
The expression 'Modern Persian' when used as a technical term is a little misleading, to say the least. For the period it covers takes us back not merely a century or two from the present day but virtually to the Islamic conquest of Iran in the seventh century A.D. It was then that the Aramaic script and Middle Persian language used under the Sassanian dynasty began to give way to Arabic script and a form of Persian that absorbed an ever-increasing number of Arabic loan words and expressions. Iranian authors and poets of the time adapted rapidly to the new situation, not only producing memorable works of literature in Arabic itself, but adopting Arabic forms and metres as the basis for works in Persian. Within a century or two there were further developments that owed nothing to Arabic literary traditions but demonstrated the Iranian gift for absorbing language and culture from elsewhere and reproducing it with a new and distinctive flavour. One outstanding example is the Shâhnâmeh of the tenth century poet Ferdousi. This was an epic poem purporting to narrate the origins and history of the land and the deeds of its ancient rulers. In fact the events it describes bear little resemblance to factual history and consist almost entirely of colourful myth and legend. It took Ferdousi many years to write it, in a literary form unknown to Arabic but possibly inspired by the epics of ancient Greece and Rome. A few decades later another innovative work of Persian literature appeared. This was the Robä'yât (= Quatrains) of Omar Khayyam. Thanks to the dedication and poetic skill of the nineteenth century poet Edward FitzGerald, who translated these verses into English, the original work and its author are known of throughout the world, unlike Ferdousi and the Shahnameh that are little known outside Iran. Whereas in England, for example, poetry is seen by most people as rather esoteric, in Iran it is accepted and appreciated as a normal part of daily life. Poets such as Sa'adi and Hafez, whose works were written in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries A.D., are household names in Iran and many relatively uneducated people can quote from them. The Persian literary tradition has continued and evolved over the centuries down to the present day. Particular styles of poetry and prose have been fiercely preserved for a time and then have yielded to the innovators. Inspiration has come from a variety of sources - sometimes mystical, sometimes political, and sometimes the sheer challenge of creating the maximum impact out of the minimum of everyday words. Taken as a whole, Persian literature is impressive and deserves to be better known in the world at large.
Conclusion
Persian is a language that is still largely unknown to most of the world. In recent decades, contacts between Iranians and the West through oil, commerce, tourism and latterly the emigration to Europe and America of those at odds with the Islamic Republic have tended not so much to stimulate the study of Persian as merely to reinforce the use of English and other western tongues. Persian, though, is a language with an ancient and colourful pedigree and a notable body of literature. It is a language that currently provides access to peoples and cultures over a part of Asia that extends far beyond the boundaries of Iran, as well as to the diaspora who in recent years have migrated from that region to the West and elsewhere. For those with an interest in these people and a desire to communicate with them knowledge of Persian is a vital tool. As regards the people of Iran in particular, recent election results, giving strong support to the reformists, suggest a growing desire among many for more openness and freedom of thought. This may well lead on to improved relations with the rest of the world at governmental level. If so, new opportunities may be at hand for present-day 'Parthians, Medes and Elamites' to be 'amazed' in their turn - but only if they are able to hear the message in their own language.
Suggested for further reading :
Dictionary of Languages by Andrew Dalby
Atlas of Languages by Bernard Comrie, Stephen Matthews and Maria Polinsky
Persian Grammar by Prof.Ann K.S.Lambton
The Land of the Great Sophy by Roger Stevens (for historical and geographical background)
Brian Bull worked in Iran for a number of years as an educationalist.
1If we want to be consistent, we should stick to 'Persian', so that the word 'farsi' - or to give it its correct spelling 'farcy' - could be reserved for its little-known but native English meaning: 'a glandular disease afflicting horses'.! But then, when did language and consistency ever go together.