Iran: Difference between revisions
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* Iran's official language is ''Persian'' or Farsi, and the official script is the Arabic alphabet with the addition of four letters to make up for sounds which Arabic lacks.
** Persian is not related to Arabic, despite the large number of loanwords. Persian is an Indo-European language, which makes it related to Hindi and most languages spoken in Europe, including English. Old Persian was rather similar to Sanskrit, though it evolved and picked up a fair amount of vocabulary from Arabic.
*** A good analogy for Farsi's linguistic situation is actually English: just as English is a Germanic language with substantial Romance (specifically French) vocabulary, Farsi is an Indo-European language (which Germanic and Romance languages are as well, by the way, albeit in separate sub-families both to Farsi and each other) with substantial Semitic (specifically Arabic) vocabulary. Just as French-derived words in English are more "high-class" or "technical" than the Germanic ones, the Arabic imports in Farsi generally deal with more sophisticated topics (for the reason why, see [
** Some Persian words that are cognates of English words include
*** baradar - brother
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** Oddly, transsexuals are more accepted in some circles in Iran (even some of the more conservative/religious areas) than in the West, though this is not universal.
* The Cyrus Cylinder, issued by Cyrus the Great in the 6th century B.C., proclaims the benefits of Cyrus' rule, and has been called the first human rights charter in history. Despite being an ancient propaganda piece, [[Fair for Its Day|Cyrus was indeed known for his enlightened rule]]. Iranian reformers count Cyrus and the Cylinder among their sources of inspiration.
* Along with the Celts, ancient Iran was one of the most egalitarian societies with regards to gender. Women served as warriors, generals, and civil administrators. Today, [[No
== Culture ==
* Though Iranians do not like to say they imitate Western culture ''per se'', in reality the country is extremely multicultural and open to foreign influences.
** [
* Iranians have a rich background when it comes to science. You can check [[The Other Wiki]] for more information.
* Iranian cuisine is full of delicious dishes:
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