Ordering game in Persian
In the most recent edition of Teach Yourself Modern Persian (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2004), author Narguess Farzad pokes fun at the textbooks of yesteryear with their obsolete examples no...
View ArticleThe dull conversations of Tajikistan
I’ve been travelling in Tajikistan for a few days now and I’m not liking it much as a linguist. It’s not because the people aren’t friendly; for not a single night have I lacked invitations for a place...
View ArticlePerso-Arabic vocabulary in Tatar
The great thing about learning Tatar vocabulary is that, with a little effort at finding out the different spellings, you often get Farsi and Tajik vocabulary (and Arabic, Turkish, a lot of Caucasian...
View ArticlePIE roots as a mnemonic device in Farsi spelling
Persian roots in which a silent vāv must be written after an initial khe are often considered the bane of foreign learners of Farsi. I myself felt some discontent at having to learn this silly spelling...
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