Random fruits of Googling

[machine_elf]

[I used to be mad_pig, but I just started over with a new LJ.]

Since the topic of what we should be calling the Persian or Farsi language has come up a few times here: The Academy of Persian Language and Literature recently recommended calling the language Persian and not Farsi (and see also the links at the bottom of the Wikipedia article

Comments

[ext_2514]

don't you think that what the academy of language X thinks about name of this language in language Y is irrelevant? seems more like politicaly influenced invention

[machine_elf]

I was thinking the same thing; what other academies and other "think tanks" recommend? Not that I let them tell me how to think.

[angelus_reborn]

1979 revolution continued to use 'Farsi' to identify their language in English and the word became commonplace in English-speaking countries

For the last couple of days, I've been touring this website. (Common English Errors) Whenever they speak of an "error" that has become so commonplace as to become unnoticeable or irrelevant to the majority of English speakers, they let it slide since it's not really an error anymore.

I see this as sort of the same thing: if a whollle lot of people use Farsi (by the article's own admission) and if neither has a derogatory meaning, then what's the harm in leaving them both to their own devices in colloquial speak? "People might mistake Farsi as a dialect" or vice-versa doesn't seem like that big a deal IMHO and can easily be remedied.

[qalanjo]

I agree with you about the word Farsi sounding kind of P.C., which is why I prefer to say Persian.

Me: I'm learning Persian
Them: Uhh you mean FARSI?

It's like...oh yeah, I forgot the name of the language I was learning...thanks for correcting me. you are so enlightened.

[qalanjo]

And here is a forum thread discussing "FARSI" or "PERSIAN"? What Is the English Name of Our Language? which has input from Persians as well as non-Persians.

[machine_elf]

Thanks for posting that, I hate to just have a link to a Wikipedia article; it's too second-hand.

[eyeballmassage]

http://p211.ezboard.com/fwordoriginsorgfrm14.showMessage?topicID=194.topic

some of these people think it's just text generated to manipulate google rankings

[machine_elf]

I have to agree as an afterthought (someone else told me the same thing a while ago now that I remember). Unless we have another Voynich Manuscript-like mystery here.

[eyeballmassage]

maybe it IS the voynich manuscript, in the latin alphabet

[maninblack]

Rankorder.com contains gibberish pages. All pages other than the homepage itself appear to be randomly generated each time you view them. The static contents on those pages, however, are the links to other websites. This strongly suggests that the entire site is just a scheme to improve search engine rankings.