- Shahrzad Khorsandi, Artistic Director of Sharzad Dance Academy
SHAHRZAD
“FOOD
FOR THOUGHT/ENGLISH AND PERSIAN WORDS”
Did
you know that as an English speaking person, you already know many words in
Persian without knowing it! Interestingly, the reverse is true for a Persian
speaking person! Here is listing of such words:
-
AID>
>FEAST, FESTIVAL
-ALLEY>
>HIGH; EMINENT
-BAD>
>BAD
-
BAR>
>LOAD; BURDEN; WEIGHT, [OF A SHIP]CARGO.
YIELD;
FRUIT.
-
BAIT>
>DISTICH; VERSE; ALSO, COUPLET.
-
BE SURE>
>LACK OF COMMON SENSE; FOOLISH; SILLY
-
BEAM>
>FEAR. DANGER
-
BALL>
>WING
-
BILL>
>SPADE; SHOVEL
-
BAND>
>ROPE; CORD.
-
BEAD>
>MOTH
-
BIZARRE>
>WEARY’
DISGUSTED; FED UP
-
BEAST>
>NUMBER 20
-
CAR>
>WORK, JOB, BUSINESS
-
CHEESE>
>THING. MATTER.
-
CARD>
>KNIFE
-
CALL>
>UNRIPE; GREEN
-
CHIN>
>WRINKLE. PLEAT. CHINA
-
COOL>
>BACK; SHOULDER
-
CHEAT>
>KIND OF FABRIC
-
COOK>
>BASTING- TUNED; IN TUNE. WOUND(UP).
-
CORK>
>DOWN. SOFT WOOL; TO MAT, AS THE HAIR
-
COFFEE>
>SUFFICIENT; ENOUGH.
-
CHOP>
>PRINT
-
CHAP>
>LEFT
-
COUGH, CUFF>
>PERSIAN LETTER FOR “K”
-
DIZZY>
>SMALL EARTHEN POT
-
DOLL/DULL>
>PERSIAN LETTER FOR “D,d”
-
DAY>
>TENTH MONTH IN IRANIAN CALENDAR
-
DOUGH>
>TWO
-
Dell>
> HEART. STOMACH. Mind, Courage, Patience.
-
DEAN>
>RELIGION
-
DIG>
>POT
-
DUDE>
>SMOKE
-
DOME>
>TAIL
-
EAST>
>STOP
-
EEL>
>TRIBE
-
FARSI> >PERSIAN
-
FARCE>
>A STATE IN IRAN
-
FALL>
>OMEN. FORTUNE. LOT.
-FAN>
>ART, TECHNIQUE
-
FOOT>
>BLOW
-
FEEL/PHIL>
>ELEPHANT
-
GEESE>
>(WOMAN’S)HAIR. TAIL OF HAIR
-
GIN>
>[CONT. OF “DOZEN”]
-
GAUZE>
>BITE
-
GAP>
>TO CHATTER. TO TALK
-
GAS>
>ASTRINGENT; ACRID.
-
HARASS>
> To
prune
-
HOSE/HOES>
>TANK; POND. BASIN
-
HALL>
>CONDITION (OF HEALTH)
-
HELL>
>CARDAMOM
-
IN>
>THIS
-
JUNE>
>LIFE, SOUL, DEAR
-JOE>
>BARLEY
-
JOHN>
>LIFE; SOUL
-
JIM/GYM.>
>PERSIAN LETTER FOR “J”
-
KNEE KNEE>
>BABY
-
KEY>
>WHO?
-
KAY>
>WHEN?
-
KISS>
>SHRINK; STRAIN
-
KEEP>
>WATER-TIGHT. AIR-TIGHT.
-
KNOW/NO>
>NEW
-
KNEEL/NEAL>
>NILE(RIVER) INDIGO-PLANT. (INDIGO)BLUE.
-
LOT>
>RUFFIAN. HOODLUM. TATTERDEMALION.
-
LOOSE>
>SPOILED
-
LEASE>
>LICK
-
LEAF>
>FIBER; FILAMENT.
-
MAY/MAE>
>MAE MEANS “WINE” IN PERSIAN LANGUAGE.
IT
IS USED WIDELY IN PERSIAN POETRY SYMBOLIZING THE TRUTH “THE SPIRITUAL WINE,
SYMBOLIC OF INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM”; FOR JUST AS WINE CHANGES THE MOOD AND
TEMPER OF PEOPLE, SO DOES TRUTH CHANGES SOUL.
-
MAN>
>I
-
MAST>
>DRUNK(EN), DRUNKARD
-
MUST>
>YOGURT
-
MALL>
>PROPERTY. RIDING ANIMAL.
-
MALE/MAIL>
>DESIRE, WISH. INCLINATION.
-
MEAL, MILL>
>ROD, BAR; SHAFT. PIN
-
MA>
>WE
-
MOO>
>HAIR
-
MESS>
>COPPER
-
MAX>
>PAUSE
-
MUCH>
>KISS
-
NUN/NONE>
>BREAD
-
NOON>
>BREAD
-
NAIL>
>ATTAINMENT; OBTAINING
-
NAY/NEIGH>
>NO; NOT; NAY. REED; CANE. STRAW. FLUTE;
PIPE.
-
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
-
PAW/PA/PAPA>
>FOOT
-
POOL/PULL>
>MONEY
-
POOR>
>SON
-
PEACH>
>SCREW
-
PETE/PEAT>
>LARGE TIN.
-
PEEP> Fr.
>PIPE
-
PEER>
>OLD; AGED.
-
PAST>
>LOW. MEAN. HUMBLE. OR INFERIOR QUALITY.
-
P/PEA>
>FAT
-
PASS>
>THEN. SO.
AFTERWARDS. BEHIND.
-
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
-
R/ARE>
>SHAME; DISGRACE. DISDAIN.
-
R/ARE>
>ARE(METRIC SYSTEM. THE AREA OF A SQUARE
OF
WHICH EACH SIDE IS TEN METERS IN LENGTH; 100 SQUARE METERS).
-
RUN>
>THIGH
-
RUDE>
>RIVER
-
RAG>
>VEIN
-
RIG>
>PEBBLE; SAND
-
SHEER/SHEAR>
>MILK, LION, VALVE, FAUCET
-
SURE>
>SALTY
- Sandal> > Sandal from the word Sandal-wood. The word Sandali means Chair in Persian.
-
SODA>
>TRANSACTION,
TRADE. BLACK BILE. MELANCHOLY.
-
SALE/SAIL>
>FLOOD
-
SIN>
>LETTER (S) IN PERSIAN
-
SAD>
>HUNDRED
-
SEA/SEE/C>
>NUMBER
30
-
SEEM/SEAM>
>SILVER
-
SEER/SEAR>
>GARLIC. FULL. OLD WEIGHT ALMOST EQUAL TO
75
GRAMS.
-
SUITE>
>WHISTLE
-
SHEEN>
>PERSIAN LETTER, PRONOUNCES AS “SH”
-
SUE>
>DIRECTION; SIDE-SIGHT-EVIL
-
SEAT>
>FAME; RENOWN
-
SAUCE>
>(BED)BUG.
-
SHARE>
>POEM
-
SHIN>
>SAND.
GRAVEL
-
SHALL>
>LAME
-
TOW>
>YOU
-
TOSS>
>BALD
-
TOUR>
>NET, LACE
-
TAR>
>MUSICAL INSTRUMENT
-
TAN>
>BODY, PERSON
-
TUB>
>SWING;
FORTITUDE
-
TOOL>
>LENGTH
-
TAB>
>FEVER
-
TEAR/TIER>
>ARROW. BEAM; GIRDER. POST; POLE. PILE. SHAFT. SHOT./SHOOTING PAIN;
TWINGE. FOURTH MONTH IN IRANIAN CALENDAR, HAVING 31 DAYS. ALSO MEANS-ASTRONOMY=
MERCURY.
-
TANG>
>TIGHT
-
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
-
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
-
WHO>
>EXCLAMATION UTTERED BY DERVISHES AS A CURSE OR GOOD WISH. (HOVAH)=HE.
-
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
-
YEAH>
>PERSIAN LETTER FOR “Y”
-
YAHOO>
>(O) GOD.
*
AT THE END, WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW, BUT I KNOW THAT YOU DON’T KNOW! NUMBER
ONE, THE VICTORY SIGN(GESTURE) WITH THUMB UP, IF IT HAPPENS IN PRESENCE OF A
PERSIAN, CAN BE MISTAKEN FOR SOMETHING QUITE DIFFERENT! IT IS AS IF YOU ARE
POINTING UP YOUR MIDDLE FINGER TO AN AMERICAN!
NUMBER
TWO, NEVER “SHUSH” AN IRANIAN! UNLESS IF YOU MEAN IT, OF COURSE! IT MEANS
“PEE” IN PERSIAN SLANG.
Bahereh
Khodadoost-Heath
April
1996 PA
_________________________________________
“FOOD
FOR THOUGHT / ENGLISH WORDS”
There
are many words in the Persian language and in the English language that they
pronounce and spell the same, but they have different meanings. There are also
the ones that pronounce the same, spell differently, but have different
meanings. Also there are words that pronounce differently, spell the same, but
have different meanings. Often, it surprises a non-Persian speaking person when
s/he hears of such words in the Persian language, and it is just as true with
most Persians when they are informed of such words in the English language. Here
is a listing of such words in the English language:
A-
Arm/Arm/Arms... Air/Heir... Aloud/Allowed... Add/Ad... Ate/Eight...
D-
Dear/Deer... Die/Dye... Date/Date... Doll/Dull... Dam/Damn...
Draw/Draw/Draw...Doe/Dough... Duel/Dual…
I-
I/Eye...
J-
J/Jay...
K-
Know/No... Knows/Nose... Knot/Not... Knight/Night... Knead/Need...
L-
Light/Light... Live/Live... Lime/Lime... Letter/Letter... Leak/Leek...
Lead/Lead... Lie/Lye...
M-
Male/Mail... Made/Maid... Mane/Main/Maine... Match/Match... Mat/Mat...
Meat/Meet... March/March... Marry/Merry... Mold/Mold... Minor/Miner...
N-
Net/Net... Night/Knight... Nail/Nail... No/Know... Nut/Nut... Nose/Knows...
None/Nun... Nay/Neigh... Need/Knead... Not/Knot...
O-
O/Oh!/Owe... Our/Hour... Or/Ore/Oar...
P-
P/Pea... Page/Page... Pear/Pair... Pool/Pool... Plant/Plant.. .Period/Period...
Peace/Piece... Pain/Pane... Plane/Plain... Pallet/Pallet.. .Punch/Punch...
Profit/Prophet... Patient/Patient... Pray/Prey... Pause/Paws...
Present/Present... Pen/Pin...Principle/ Principal...
Q-
Quarter/Quarter...
R-
R/Are... Red/Read... Race/Race.. Rain/Reign/Rein.. .Ruler/Ruler... Rear/Rear...
Right/Rite/Write/Wright... Ring/Ring/Wring... Read/Reed... Rap/Wrap...
Rock/Rock... Roll/Role...Rays/Raise...
S-
See/Sea/C... Site/Sight/Cite... Scull/Skull... Some/Sum...
Spring/Spring/Spring/Spring... Son/Sun... Seal/Seal... So/Sew/Sow... Season/Season(ing)...
Sage/Sage... Seer/Sear... Sound/Sound.. Second/Second/Second... Sale/Sail...
Sell/Cell... Sweet/Suite... Suit/Suit... Saw/Saw... Seem/Seam...
Scale/Scale/Scale... Shingles/Shingles... Sharp/Sharp... Stable/Stable...
Staff/Staff.... Sheer/Shear... Symbol/Cymbal... Stationary/ Stationery...Soar/
Sore...
T-
T/Tea/Tee... Tie/Tie... Toe/Tow... Towed/Toad... Tail/Tale... Toast/Toast...
To/Too/Two... Time/Thyme... Ten/Tin... Trip/Trip... Trim/Trim... Throw/Throw(Pots
on the potters wheel)... and the interesting similarities between the following
words:
Tier/Tear/Tear...and
having a little fun with the word “TEACHER”, may be you can put a cup of TEA
on a CHAIR!
U-
U/You...Urn/ Earn...
V-
Vain/Vein...
W-
Waste/Waist... Whole/Hole... Wait/Weight... Well/Well/Well... Watch/Watch...
Write/Wright/Rite/Right... Which/Witch... Washer/Washer... Weather/Whether...
Way/Whey... Why/Y... Wrap/Rap.. .Wring/Ring/Ring...
X-
...
Y-
Yard/Yard...
Z-
...
That’s
it for now!
April 1996 PA Copyright 1996
_________________________________________
“A New Perspective on LANGUAGE”
Since
I came to this country in 1979, many times people have asked me if I write
BACKWARDS when I write in my native language (PERSIAN). My answer to them has
always been and still is NO! I don’t write BACKWARDS, rather I write from
right to left. You see, it all depends where you are coming from, where your
view point is, or where you are basing your point of view.
After
all, if one really thinks about it, we all form some of our letters and numbers
from right to left, and from left to right (this is true at least in a few
languages that I know and am familiar with). Let us look at a few examples:
NUMBERS
IN PERSIAN
NUMBERS
IN ENGLISH
1 2
3
4 5
6
7 8
9
10
Both
derived from Arabic numbers.
Look
at the similarities!
If you turn the Persian
sideways, you will see English 2.
If you use part of Persian
, you will see English 3.
If you flip over Persian
, you will see English 4.
If you rotate Persian
, you will see English 7.
Of
course number 1, 9, and 10
are almost identical in both languages. Also if you turn around Persian or
English 9, what you will get is English 6. If you know how to write “
l “, you
know how to write Persian A(
l ).
Look
at the similarities between English 2
and 5. They are very similar from the form standpoint.
English
8 is nothing more than two zeros on
top of each other, and zero is identical as letter O.
Now,
for the fun of it, let’s look at number 5
in Persian. What do you think it looks like. It has the shape of a heart
only upside down. As a matter of fact, I have come up with a design used
in my art-work which is based on the interplay of heart and Persian five (Panj).
*
By the way, in Persian, we write our numbers from left to right like English
numbers.
You
already know how to say these
numbers in Persian:
* 2 in Persian
pronounces Dough or Doe
* 20
“
“
Beast
* 100 in “
“
SAD
In
my childhood, and now as an artist, I look at letters and numbers as FORMS. As a
matter of fact, even as a child, I had my favorite numbers and letters based on
their shapes. The more I write and form them, the more it becomes apparent to me
that there are all just
forms
and shapes, consisting of a few curves and a few straight lines, manipulated,
flipped over, etc..., to make different letters and numbers out of them. If we
recognize and realize this fact, hopefully we will manage to get rid of all the
prejudices, misconceptions, and assumptions that maybe our native language is
better than someone else’s.
Now,
let’s see how we form our letters in English language:
A
B C
D E F G
H I
J K
L M N
O P
Q R S
T U
V W
X Y Z
a b
c d
e f g
h i
j k l
m n
o p q
r s
t u v
w x
y z
You
see, if one pays close attention, s/he realizes that all of them consist of a
few curves and a few straight lines. Also the fact that all or most letters are
formed by going from right side to the left side, or, visa versa. Many letters,
once turned around, or flipped over, cna become another letter, such as: b-9-d-p-q,Mm-Ww-E
or even number 3, e-9-6 and Persian 9,
B consist of two D’s, N when is
looked at sideways, becomes Z, n when
is turned over, becomes letter u, and
yes, don’t forget that if you know how to write Vv,
you know how to write seven in Persian (V),
and if you flip it over, it becomes number eight ( )in Persian, and if
you rotate it, you will have Persian d
( ). Also, if you can
write S in English, with a little effort, you can make it to Persian Y
( ). Letter T
in English is very similar to Persian A
(
).
The
above statements are pretty much true in Persian letters:
These
four Persian letters (
,
, ,
) are good examples for writing from left to right.
My
last name KHODADOOST consists of two words, KHODA meaning GOD and DOOST meaning
FRIEND.
Have
you ever thought that many words in the English language (and that is also true
in the Persian language), when it spelled backwards, they become another word,
or even stay as the same word. Here is an example of such words in English:
-
Stop/Pots - Top/Pot - Loop/Pool - On/No - Eye/Eye - Net/Ten - Bad/Dab - But/Tub
- Nap/Pan - War/Raw - Look/ (Cool) - Bat/Tab - Rat/Tar - Deer/Reed - Gum/Mug -
God/Dog - Live/
Evil- Wow/Wow (And if you turned it upside down, you see Mom!)
Also,
many words are combinations of two words, and many times when combined, they
lose their original meaning, such as:
-
Carpet
/ Car
Pet
-
Butterfly
/ Butter
Fly
-
Dragonfly
/ Dragon
Fly
-
Catscan
/ Cat
Scan
-
Dogwood
/ Dog
Wood
-
Manage
/ Man
Age
-
Season
/ Sea
Son
-
Tenants
/Ten
Ants
-
Dragonfly
/ Dragon
Fly
Just
for the fun of it, is the word for an educator, a TEACHER or a TEA CHAIR!
Unfortunately
there are also words such as:
- Black-market - Blackmail - Blacksheep - Etc....
My
hope is, that these words become extinct, since they seem to have some racist
connotation to them.
At
the end, I would like to draw your attention to the predominant use of the
pronoun HE. Did you know if one really ponders upon the HE and SHE pronouns,
they may find out that the word HE lives in SHE(S/he), and is part of it! So if
one feels compelled to use only one pronoun when addressing both sexes, I
suggest using the pronouns SHE as opposed to the pronoun HE. Otherwise the best
is using both pronouns: he or she, she or he, or simply s/he that reads as both
pronouns.
Have
you ever noticed that the above statement is also true with the nouns MAN and
WOMAN. So if one feels s/he must use only one or the other, I suggest the use of
the word WOMAN over the MAN. For example, in the following expression: “Peace
on Earth for All Men!” The word WOMAN can replace the word MEN. Otherwise I
personally prefer to use the word “PEOPLE” which it covers both sexes. So,
it may read as follows:
“Peace
on Earth for All PEOPLE!”
Bahereh
Khodadoost-Heath
April,
1996, PA
Copyright
1996
P.S.
“PERSIAN” is a branch of the Indo-European Languages. It is divided
into: OLD PERSIAN, the language of ancient Persia, written in cuneiform
characters, and closely related to the language of the Avesta; MIDDLE PERSIAN,
including chiefly PAHLAVI and PARSI; the Iranian dialect of the Parsi religious
literature, and MODERN PERSIAN (or Iranian) dating from about the 9th century,
in which the greatest of Persian literature is written, it contains many Arabic
loan words and is written in Arabic script; yet in its grammatical structure and
its basic vocabulary Persian remains Indo-European, hence quite unlike Arabic.
“PERSIA”/”IRAN”
- A country in SW Asia, south of Caspian sea. Its name was officially changed to
Iran in 1935.
_________________________________________
“LANGUAGE
CONNECTIONS”
Dedicated to: All People
Often
Westerners ask me if I speak or read Arabic. My answer is (and has always been)
NO. Unfortunately I do not know much about the Arabic language. I see surprise
and disbelief in their faces, as if it is hard for them to believe or comprehend
my answer to their question.
The
fact that the Persian language is written in Arabic script, or today Persian
language contains some borrowed words (vocabulary) from Arabic language, does
not enable a Persian speaking person to read or speak Arabic.
The
following may help an English speaking person to understand my above statement:
-
If one who knows English quite well, but has no knowledge on other Latin based
languages, is confronted with one of these other languages, can s/he understand
it?! Probably not. S/he may recognize the alphabets, and may try to make some
sense out of them, but my guess is that s/he can not go much further with it;
unless if s/he educates himself or herself in those languages.
-
Also the fact that the English language has many borrowed words from languages
such as Persian, Arabic, Hebrew, Sanskrit, etc... does not enable an English
speaking person to speak in or read in those languages. Here is a listing of
such words in the English language:
-
Amen
Egyptian God, meaning the hidden one.
-
Ammonia from the word Amen/an Egyptian deity.
-
Bad from the Persian word bad
?
-
Bandanna from the Hindi word badhnu.
-
Cummerbund from the Hindi term Kamarband, which in turn derives from
Persian Kamar, ‘waist’
/
.
-
Hashish from the Arabic word hashish
.
-
Paper from the word Papyrus in Egyptian.
-
Carat from the Arabic Qirat, ‘bean pod’
.
-
Devil from the word Satan (literally ‘adversary’) in the Hebrew Old
Testament. In Persian
/ Shaytaan.
-
Djinn / Genie from the Arabic Jinniy demon, spirit.
-
Genius A variation from Jinni was borrowed directly from the Arabic. In
that language the plural of jinniy is Jinn, and has yielded (in differing styles
translation from the Arabic Alphabet) English variants Jinn and Djinn
.
-
Jerusalem artichoke The Jerusalem artichoke, also called girasole, does
not come from Jerusalem or anywhere else the Middle East, nor is it an
artichoke; it is widely cultivated perennial American sunflower ....The fact
that the flavor of these tubers reminiscent of the flavor of the artichoke
accounts for this element of the name. Jerusalem is here the result of folk
etymology from girasole, ‘sunflower’.
-
Khaki Khaki is ultimately derived from the Persian word for ‘dust’
.
-
Lesbian Erotic: In allusion to the reputed sensuality of the people of
Lesbos, a Greek island.
-
Lute the Arabic word ‘ud has the basic meaning ‘wood, stick’. The
prefixed 1 came from the Arabic definite article al-, which is normally attached
to nouns, as in al-’udd’ the oud’
.
-
Alchemy, Alcohol, Alfalfa, Algebra, Almanac are all from the Arabic
language.
-
Azimuth from
Arabic as-sumut.
-
Music from the Greek word Mousike.
-
Salaam
Shalom is greetings in Hebrew. Salaam
is greetings in Arabic. Also meaning ‘Peace’ in both languages. The
prominence of this greeting in Muslim countries led English to borrow the word
Salaam first as the term for such a salutation and then as a verb meaning to
perform the bowing obeisance that sometimes accompanies the greeting.
-
Sandal from the word Sandal-wood. The word Sandali means Chair in Persian.
Below is an
explanation of the word Hell’o’ from a CRAZY EYEranian woman’s
perspective (please do not forget that this is only a JOKE!):
- DO
YOU KNOW WHY IN THE WORLD, THE GREETING WORD IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IS: HELL’O’ as opposed to HEAVEN’O’?!
As
an Iranian (Persian), or as some of you call us EYErainian, I have wondered, and
still do wonder about it. So, please if you have a good answer to the above
question, simply send it to Bahereh@wyndows.com or call (610)863-3362. This is
just a joke!
Is
the origin of the word Hello: Hallo/Halloo/Hollo, or is it simply Hello? If it
is Hell’o’, then, my Iranian New Year’s resolution (March 20, 1998, 1377
Iranian Calendar) is to start greeting people by saying Heaven’o’ as opposed
to saying Hell’o’! This is also a joke!
Thank You!
-
Turkey from the beginning, the New World fowl was confuse with a bird of
African origin that had been known to Mediterranean people since ancient times.
This Old World bird was commonly known as the guinea fowl (also guinea cock) or
turkey-cock.... The name turkey-cock derived from the fact that the fowl had
been originally imported to Europe from territory that the Europeans thought of
as Turkish.
-
Turquoise Historically,
the most highly valued specimens of the gem came from the lands that Europeans
thought of as “Persia” -
or the vast area now occupied by Iran, Afghanistan, and part of India.
From there the gems made their way to European cities by way of Turkish ports.
Typhoon
The first typhoons reported in English were Indian storms and were called touffans
or tufans. The rather Gallic spelling of touffon reflected the pronunciation of the first syllable, which
rhymed with you rather than I.
Although Arabic was not one of the chief languages of India, it is the language
of the Koran, and Islam had become one of India’s major religions. It was the
Arabic tufan, a word for a violent flood or hurricane, that the English
found in India and borrowed as touffon.
Later, when English ships met violent storms in the neighborhood of the China
Sea, Englishmen learned the Cantonese word for a big wind (taai fung), which is by mere chance similar to touffon. The influence of taai
fung explains the present altered sound and shape of typhoon.
[alter.
(influenced by Chin--Cant--taai fung
typhoon, fr. taai great
+ fung wind) of earlier touffon,
tufan, fr. Ar tufan
hurricane, deluge, fr. Gk typhon
whirlwind; akin to Gk typhein to
smoke]
-
Yoga In the Indo-European language that was the ancestor of English,
Latin, Greek, Sanskrit, and many others, there was a root meaning ‘to join’,
which in its simplest form can be written yug-. We see a reflection of this root
in something close to its Indo-European form in our word Yoga. Yoga was borrowed
from Sanskrit, where it meant ‘union’ (with the divine).... A native English
word that is a close cognate of Yoga is Yoke.
-
Zenith from the Arabic word Samt ar-ra’s, ‘way of the head’.
-
Zombie
In several languages of West Africa- specifically Kongo, Kimbundu, and
Tshiluba- Zambi is the word for ‘god’, and the related Zumbi in Kongo names
an object on a lower plane of divinity, ‘a propitious fetish or image’. Our
Zombie, too, was originally a deity in Africa.
-
Jasmine from the Persian word Yassman
.
-
Yogurt from the Turkish language.
-
Brother Pronounces Baradar in Persian
.
-
Bazaar Pronounces Bazaar in Persian
.
-
Mother Pronounces Maadar in Persian
.
-
Police Persepolis, ancient capital of Persia, in the Southern part, near
modern Shiraz. Meaning the city of Pars?!
-
Saffron Pronounces Zafaran in Persian, and in Arabic Zafaran (
).
-
Sumac Pronounces Sumagh in Persian
, in Arabic Summaq.
-
Tarragon Pronounces Tarkhoon in Persian
, in Arabic Tarkhun.
-
Paradise There is a poetic word in the Persian language meaning paradise,
it pronounces Pardis
; Pardise of Iranian origin; akin to Avestan Pairidaeza- enclosure.
-
Tea It must have come from Chinese Thea or Tea. {Chinese (Amoy) te akin
to Chinese (Pek) Ch’a2 tea}.
*
Coffee Arabic qahwah.
*
Alchemy Arabic Al-kimiya.
*
Caravan CARaVAN?! In Persian it pronounces Caravaan.
*
Star in Persian is Setareh.
*
Cotton in Persian is Kataan or Katoon.
*
Sherbet in Persian is Sharbat.
*
Is there any correlation between the word ‘OM’ and the word OMM (meaning
mother in Arabic)?!
{MOM?}
*
Is there any COUNTRY in the RAIN?! Is there any Rain in the country of IRAN?!
Can you make an English word out of Iran?!
*
My last name KHODADOOST consists of
two words, Khoda meaning God and Doost meaning Friend.
According to The Catholic Encyclopedia, the etymology (origin) of the word
“God” is: Anglo-Saxon God; German Gott;
akin to Persian khoda; Hindu khooda.
*
The name “dandelion” comes from the French, dent de lion (lion’s tooth),
referring to the points on the leaves.
In
order to find the links in various languages, the same strategy, and principle
can be applied.
Note:
-
People of Tajikestan, one of the old Soviet Union’s republics, speak in the
Persian language, but the written language is in Russian script. Therefore my
guess is that a Persian speaking Iranian, Afghani, or Pakistani can not
understand the written language of Tajikestan unless s/he studies Russian
script. The reverse is true for a Tajikestani person who may speak in the
Persian language, but s/he needs to learn Persian language written in Arabic
script, before s/he can understand it.
-
The old Persian script was rendered in Cuneiform/Wedge-shaped characters used in
the writing of ancient Babylonia, Assyria, Persia, etc....
You
may find the following interesting, amusing yet educational:
I
am also being faced with the following question (especially when I offer Culture
Classes with the emphasis on the Persian Culture): Do you teach belly dancing?!
When I respond negatively to this question, I see surprise, disbelief, and at
times disappointment in their faces.
“...the philosophy
Descendants of immigrants need to understand their own culture, and the best way to familiarize a person with a culture is through dance and music. Teaching the language is not enough. In order to get a complete sense of the intricacies of a culture, all senses must be involved. Thus, hearing the music, and moving the body to its rhythms and melodies, in addition to learning the language, provides an atmosphere in which the depth of the culture is felt.
It is important to the academy to perform and teach ethnic
dance for two reasons. First, many children of various ethnic backgrounds
are born and raised in this country, with very little exposure to their
culture, and the dancing helps to familiarize the children with their origin.
Secondly, many ethnic dances are still underexposed in the American community.
For example, Persian (Iranian) dance is one of the most underrepresented
dance forms in this country. In fact, most Americans believe that Persian
dance is the same as "Belly dancing". But Iranian dance would be better
described as a combination of Russian, Flamenco, and classical Indian dance.
By teaching and performing this wonderful art, the academy hopes to educated
the American public in ethnic dance, music, and thus culture of foreign
countries.”
- Shahrzad Khorsandi, Artistic Director of Sharzad Dance
Academy
SHAHRZAD
Bahereh Khodadoost-Heath
November 1996, PA
P.S.
“Persian” is a branch of the Indo-European Languages. It is divided into: OLD PERSIAN, the language of ancient Persia, written in cuneiform characters, and closely related to the language of the Avesta; MIDDLE PERSIAN, including chiefly PAHLAVI and PARSI; the Iranian dialect of the Parsi religious literature, and MODERN PERSIAN (or Iranian) dating from about the 9th century, in which the greatest of Persian literature is written, it contains many Arabic loan words and is written in Arabic script; yet in its grammatical structure and its basic vocabulary Persian remains Indo-European, hence quite unlike Arabic.
“PERSIA”/”IRAN”- A country in SW Asia, south of Caspian sea. Its name was officially changed to Iran in 1935.
Final Note: In the
writing of this article, I have consulted with various dictionaries.
Copyright 1996
_________________________________________
OBSERVATION-
As many diverse forms exist in the universe, they all consist of one or another form, or the combination of the two forms. The two forms are: Straight Lines and Curved Lines.
This claim is just as true when it comes to the letters and numbers all over the world. Give me donuts and bread sticks/ Give me old tires and straight rods/ Give me straws and coasters/ Give me pencils and round erasers/ Give me chopsticks, licorice, carrots, cucumbers, celery, Give me bendable wires/ Give me spaghetti and meat balls/ Give me any material in these two shapes (straight lines & rounds) I promise to teach you more than one language in the world, and DESIGN.
Let us not forget to shape up our bodies while making
them into different letters, numbers, and forms. This part can be considered
as “Performing Art!”
Bahereh Khodadoost
June 1997
PA.
P.S. Complexity comes from simplicity. This is true for most everything in LIFE; from spiritual matters, art matters, all the way to scientific matters. Complexity in any form, once it is broken down, reveals its simplicity. Therefore, any simple form, such as straight lines and circles, can be put into a complex and refined pattern.
DESIGN and LANGUAGE both are derived from these two forms.
copyright 1997
_________________________________________
“Persian English Connections &
A Taste of Persian Culture/
Persian Language & Writing class by Bahereh
“PERSIA”/”IRAN”-
A country in SW Asia, south of Caspian sea. Its name was officially changed to
Iran in 1935. Persian is a branch of the Indo-European Languages.
“Persian”
is a branch of the Indo-European Languages.
This class is about connecting the dots between the
Persian & the English languages!
All Age Groups!
Minimum of 6 students.
Bring your IMAGINATION & your ENTHUSIASM, and
Bahereh will GUARANTEE your Fun in learning a foreign yet familiar
language through a series of ‘GAMES’!
The SUBJECT is SERIOUS, The APPROACH is NOT!
Please note: In this class, not only you are allowed
to pass notes rather you are encouraged to do so as long as your notes be
written in PERSIAN! But you must share your notes with Bahereh the Instructor
for further explanations and evaluations!!! Talking in class is encouraged just
as much, only in PERSIAN, please!
Bahereh is an
artist/ educator. She is bilingual and educated in the Persian language as well
as the English language. She grew
up in Iran, and moved to this country in 1979. She has studied primarily
Literature and Art in various schools. She has a multi-cultural attitude with a
unified approach which is quite apparent in many aspects of her life.
*****
CLAY ART by Bahereh | CLAY ART by Walter Heath | Home Page | About the Artists | Writings
(610)863-3362
Mailing Address: 423 Mountain Ave. Pen Argyl, Pa. 18072
please send e-mail to: bahereh@HEARTizen.com