The Persian Language, Past and Present

Abstract

One of the most noteworthy pieces of Arani’s writings is his essay “Changing the Persian Language.” In it, Arani articulates his vision of a cosmopolitan Iran by juxtaposing his vision of of the nation rooted in its material or historical reality against those Iranian nationalists who sought to alienate Iran from their own cultural heritage by purging the Persian language of Arabic words. This chapter argues that Arani’s call to adapt Persian to modern scientific realities by accepting the use of foreign technical terms already in currency evinced his pragmatic and antichauvinist sense of nationalism.