Tajikestan reverting to Persian script

I don't think it will ever happen. They most likely will switch to Latin alphabet instead.

Because the whole thing is a political question. And it's not of a top importance there. Nobody, is really looking in the direction of Iran right now, at the same time Latin alphabet is associated with "progress" and "Westernization." Everything would depend on preferences of Tajik elite. Rahmonov won't switch to Arabic alphabet. However, if a pro-Western leader will follow, Latin alphabet is a possibility. If for some reasons islamists come to power, then Arabic script will become a real possibility. Also, just from the practical point of view, Cyrrilic alphabet is firstly, much more convenient secondly, everybody got used to it in Tajikistan.

Edited by Sarmat12 - 07-May-2008 at 06:45

It is better for both Persians and Tajiks to switch from Cyrillic and Arabic script to Latin script, so they may read and write in the same way.

1. Cyrillic is not a good choice since majority of Persians are not familiar with it, beside it is an imposed script.
2. Arabic script is hard for Tajiks to learn.
3. Latin script: Many people in Iran and Tajikistan are familiar with this script beside it is an universal script.

I will support changing our script  from Arabic to Original Persian script (Pahlavi), but it is not easy for many people. Since changing back to Pahlavi script is unlikely, I think changing to Latin script has more chance and benefit for Tajiks and Persians.


Edited by Suren - 07-May-2008 at 08:11

Why not Avestan script? This is the most suitable script for writing in Persian langauge, as I said in another thread the Avestan alphabet with 14 vowels and 33 consonants is also one of the most complete alphabets in the world.

Originally posted by Sarmat12 Because the whole thing is a political question. And it's not of a top importance there. Nobody, is really looking in the direction of Iran right now, at the same time Latin alphabet is associated with "progress" and "Westernization." Everything would depend on preferences of Tajik elite. Rahmonov won't switch to Arabic alphabet. However, if a pro-Western leader will follow, Latin alphabet is a possibility. If for some reasons islamists come to power, then Arabic script will become a real possibility. Also, just from the practical point of view, Cyrrilic alphabet is firstly, much more convenient secondly, everybody got used to it in Tajikistan.  BTW, Tajiks were not robbed of their great heritage. I remember reading Shah-nameh published by the Soviet publishing house, with numerous references that this epic is a treasure of Tajik people. There were also beautiful Soviet movies made by Tajikfilm, movie company of Tajikistan based on Shah-nameh. I still remember them. Also, 80% of Tajiks were illiterate before 1917 revolution. They were educated in their own language written in Cyrrilic script.   This is not to say, that USSR was a paradise, of course it was not. But it was not that terrible either.

Nobody there is looking in the direction of Iran?  What's your source for that? Iran is one of the biggest investors int hat country and the foreign minister of Tajikistan has publicly stated that relations with Iran are a keystone of its foreign strategy.  And that does not entail reunification or any such thing.  And besides that on the grass roots level, in my experience, Tajiks are very warm to Iranians.

People are used to Cyrillic? Yes they are, again that is why Persian is being introduced at primary level.  The script won't be forced on Tajiks to whom it's unintelligible.

Tajiks were not robbed of their great heritage. I remember reading Shah-nameh published by the Soviet publishing house, with numerous references that this epic is a treasure of Tajik people

That's the whole thing right there: epic treasure of Tajik people?  It's an epic treasure of all Iranic people, from Kurdistan to Tajiks China, even many Turkic people.  The Soviet and Tsarists made sure to disconnect all references to Tajikistan's Iranic history (same thing happened when the northern part of Azarbaijan was annexed).  It's just too bad that the number of times Iran is mentioned in the Shahnameh is too numerous to count.

BBC also called Rudaki a "Tajik" poet recently and completely neglected to state which language he spoke.  It seems all has-been colonial powers of the Great Game find swallowing this pill very hard.

Originally posted by Spartakus Come one people!!!! There is also the Greek alphabet!!!!

Unfortunately (or fortunately) there is no Macedonian like Alexander to force Greek alphabet upon us!

So the Turks use a "Turkish" script because they have 4 more characters (I think). If you read carefully, you will find that the origin of these excess letters is Arabic, to write sounds that don't exist in the language like g in good. In some Quranic reading styles there are archaic arabic sounds that are represented by letters not used in the mainstream, because nobody uses them any more and from these modefications the Arabic script was modefied to accomidate persian name and then persians added characters of their own on the Arabic model. The goal for transferring to Arabic, since Pahlavi was used till the 10th century, was because by that time most Iranians were muslims and Ferdowsi's great epic was probably the first major work written by the new script.

Regarding the alphabet. I think we can use both Persian and Arabic. But Arabic IMHO is more correct. Since obviously the ovewhelming majority of the letters are Arabic. Likewise we can say that English, Spanish, German alphabets exist. But there is no mistakes if we just refer to all these alphabets with the general term "Latin."

Edited by Sarmat12 - 07-May-2008 at 18:31

lol.

Originally posted by Sarmat12 Regarding the alphabet. I think we can use both Persian and Arabic. But Arabic IMHO is more correct. Since obviously the ovewhelming majority of the letters are Arabic. Likewise we can say that English, Spanish, German alphabets exist. But there is no mistakes if we just refer to all these alphabets with the general term "Latin."

You can call the Persian script Perso-Arabic but the alphabet is Persian. 
 
Al Jassas, I have question for you and I think you will probably know the answer (I don't): Are there any examples of pre-Islamic Arabic language literature? And what script does it use?

I have always noted the striking similarity of Sassanid Avestani and the modern Arabic and Persian scripts.  I know all of them have their roots in Phoenecian, but I have never seen two so strikingly similar.