Iranian leader bans foreign words

[Torplexed]

And I thought Congress with their "freedom fries" was silly. But 'elastic loaves?'

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.

The presidential decree, issued earlier this week, orders all governmental agencies, newspapers and publications to use words deemed more appropriate by the official language watchdog, the Farhangestan Zaban e Farsi, or Persian Academy, the Irna official news agency reported.


The academy has introduced more than 2,000 words as alternatives for some of the foreign words that have become commonly used in Iran, mostly from Western languages. The government is less sensitive about Arabic words, because the Quran is written in Arabic.


Among other changes, a "chat" will become a "short talk" and a "cabin" will be renamed a "small room," according to official Web site of the academy.

[STEED]

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is

[U-104]

Originally Posted by Torplexed

"pizzas" which will now be known as "elastic loaves,"

:rotfl::rotfl:

[JJ]

cuckoo...

[Skybird]

"Schokoladenhohlkörper": GDR-German for Santa Claus in chocolate. Thinking is language. Control the language, and you control the thinking. Obviously Iranians love multi-culti, as long as the bring their culti to our multi - not the other way around. There is one word that I like, that I love, that I have learned to hail and to deeply appreciate - that word is "reciprocity"...

[Spoon 11th]

Nothing special about this. Commonly used terms translated into their own language.

[Skybird]

Let's do that in Europe, too, with all these modern foreign English words around.

[Spoon 11th]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Let's do that in Europe, too, with all these modern foreign English words around.

It's already done in Finland, for the last many decades. Every foreign word has an official finnish translation. It's necessary in many situations.

Also being done in France.

I'm thinking those who control language also control the debate. A (form of control) censorship, propoganda, and ultimately people's lives. It's no different than what we see in the politically correct crowd, or what Geo. Orwell was talking about in "1984".

[Oberon]

So...what are they gonna replace Mahmoud Ammadinnerjacket with?

[Torplexed]

Funny how in English we recklessly borrow words from other languages without so much as a shrug. After a while we no longer even think of them as 'foreign.'

While the French And Iranians are trying to purge their language of slang, and foreign words – I personally love the fact that in English, when we saw and liked eating a “Taco” we simply begin using the word “Taco.”

Now if I could just figure out that other English language....the one with words like 'lorry' instead of truck and 'pram' instead of baby carriage.

[Takeda Shingen]

And so, if I go to the downtown Tehran Hilton and ask for a small room, do I get a log cabin, err small room, with a fireplace a la Abraham Lincoln, err, Ishmael Muharri?

[tycho102]

I think this Iranian development is doubleplus good.

That is, ++good.

[SUBMAN1]

Cool - further isolation from the rest of the world! Fine by me.

-S

[Gorduz]

In norway we have the policy of rewriting words to suit our language. Like Rocket -> Rakett, and Lunch -> Lunsj. In Iceland however they completly change the word (like in Iran). For instance rocket -> Ildfloga(Firebird/Bird of fire). So nothing special about Iran here.