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Georg Duffner wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:4DF32945.2050601@gmail.com" type="cite">On
2011-06-11 10:27, Philip TAYLOR (Webmaster, Ret'd) wrote:
<br>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">If the Academy of Persian Language and
Literature "clearly advocates
<br>
the use of the word 'Persian' not 'Farsi'
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="http://www.cais-soas.com/CAIS/Languages/persian_not_farsi.htm#_ftn46"><http://www.cais-soas.com/CAIS/Languages/persian_not_farsi.htm#_ftn46></a>",
<br>
why does it then use the
<br>
word 'Farsi' in its own name ("Farhangesta-n-e Zaba-n va Adab-e
<br>
*Fa-rsi-*") ?
<br>
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
Because persian in persian is called farsi (فارسی). During its
evolution persian /p/ has become /f/, so some old persian *parsi became
farsi in modern persian.
<br>
<br>
Using the word farsi in its english translation like “Academy of Farsi
Language and Literature” would be like callig the Rat für deutsche
Rechtschreibung “Council for Deutsch Orthography”, which would be
equally wierd as calling it in german “Rat für german Rechtschreibung”.
<br>
<br>
Georg
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
OK, understood, but I also feel that it rather begs the question (the
English<br>
name, that is, not your answer). Because if the received wisdom were
that the<br>
preferred English name for the language was Farsi and not Persian, then<br>
the English name of the Academy would surely be the the “Academy of
Farsi <br>
Language and Literature”, would it not ? So it is a sort of
self-fulfilling prophesy :<br>
the Academy of Persian Language and Literature "clearly advocates
the use of <br>
the word 'Persian' not 'Farsi'", because if it did not, it would call
itself (in English)<br>
the "Academy of Farsi Language and Literature" !<br>
<br>
But if the Persian name for the Persian language is, in
transliteration, <big><i><span style=""><font size="2"><big>Fārsī</big></font></span></i></big>,
<br>
is it really logical for the Persian nation (or should I here be
writing "Iranian" ? <br>
This is quite a linguistic minefield) to seek to tell the West that
while it <br>
is perfectly normal for a Persian (Iranian) to call his language <big><i><span
style=""><font size="2"><big>Fārsī</big></font></span></i></big>, we
in the <br>
west must call it Persian ?!<br>
<br>
** Phil.<br>
<br>
Philip Taylor<br>
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