Persian studies continue

ارسطو شاگرد افلاطون است. افلاطون شاگرد سقراط است. آن‌ها سه تا انسان‌ها عظیم‌ترین فیلسوف‌ها یونان هستند. 

لینوکسم ویندوزت بهتر است. 

سیاره‌مان سیاره‌شان کوچکتر است. 

Aristotle is the student of Plato. Plato is the student of Socrates. These three men are the greatest Greek philosophers. 

My Linux is better than your Windows.

Our planet is smaller than yours.

ਅਰਸਤੂ ਅਫ਼ਲਾਤੂਨ ਦਾ ਸ਼ਾਗਿਰਦ ਹੈ। ਅਫ਼ਲਾਤੂਨ ਸੁਕਰਾਤ ਦਾ ਸ਼ਾਗਿਰਦ ਹੈ। ਇਹ ਤਿੰਨ ਮਰਦ ਅਜ਼ੀਮਤਰੀਨ ਯੂਨਾਨੀ ਫ਼ਲਸਫ਼ਾਕਾਰ ਹਨ।

ਮੇਰਾ ਲੀਨਕਸ ਤੁਹਾਡੀ ਵਿੰਨਡੋਸ ਤੋਂ ਬਹਿਤਰ ਹੈ।

ਸਾਡਾ ਗ੍ਰਹਿ ਤੁਹਾਡੇ ਗ੍ਰਹਿ ਨਾਲੋ ਛੋਟਾ ਹੈ।

Anglerfish talks to giant squid in Persian

Exercise six of Iraj Bashiri's Persian for Beginners is about combining dialogues from lesson one and two. I loved doing this exercise. I have introduced two new characters and a new noun in this dialogue. 

Here it is: 

ائنگارماهی^Anglerfish :‌ سلام علیکم.

ماهی مرکب غول ^{Giant squid} :‌ سلام!‌ حال شما چطور است؟

ائنگلر ماهی :‌بد نیستم. متشکرم. حال شما چطور است؟

ماهی مرکب غول :‌ حال من هم خوب است.

ائنگلر ماهی :‌آن ماهی کی است؟

ماهی مرکب غول :‌ آن ماهی خوراک من است. ها ها ها!!!‌

ائنگلر ماهی :‌ اسم او ماهی چی است؟‌

ماهی مرکب غول :‌ اسم او ماهی نمیدانم.

ائنگلر ماهی :‌ چند ساعت است؟

ماهی مرکب غول :‌ نمیدانم.

ائنگلر ماهی :‌خدا حافظ.

ماهی مرکب غول :‌ تسلامت.

And here is the conversation in English: 

Anglerfish: Hello ! 

Giant squid: Hi! How are you?

Anglerfish: Not bad. Thank you. How are you?

Giant squid: I am doing well. 

Anglerfish: Who is that fish?

Giant squid: That fish is my food! ha ha ha !!! 

Anglerfish: What's it called?

Giant squid: I don't know.

Anglerfish: What time is it?

Giant squid: I don't know. 

Anglerfish: Goodbye! 

Giant squid: Bye bye! 

Anglerfiŝo kaj giganta kalamaro interparolas perse

Ekzerco sesa de Persian for Beginners (Persa for komencantoj) de Iraj Bashiri [iraĝ baŝiri] temas pri kunigi dialogojn de lecionojn unu kaj du. Mi ĝuis fari tiun ĉi ekzercon. Mi enkondukis du novajn karakterojn kaj novan o-vorton en tiun ĉi dialogon.

Jen ĝi estas: 

ائنگارماهی^Anglerfiŝo :‌ سلام علیکم.

ماهی مرکب غول ^{Giganta kalamaro} :‌ سلام!‌ حال شما چطور است؟

ائنگلر ماهی :‌بد نیستم. متشکرم. حال شما چطور است؟

ماهی مرکب غول :‌ حال من هم خوب است.

ائنگلر ماهی :‌آن ماهی کی است؟

ماهی مرکب غول :‌ آن ماهی خوراک من است. ها ها ها!!!‌

ائنگلر ماهی :‌ اسم او ماهی چی است؟‌

ماهی مرکب غول :‌ اسم او ماهی نمیدانم.

ائنگلر ماهی :‌ چند ساعت است؟

ماهی مرکب غول :‌ نمیدانم.

ائنگلر ماهی :‌خدا حافظ.

ماهی مرکب غول :‌ تسلامت.

Kaj jen estas la dialogo Esperante: 

Anglerfiŝo: Saluton!

Giganta kalamaro: Sal' ! Kiel vi fartas?

Anglerfiŝo: Ne malbone. Dankon! Kiel vi fartas?

Giganta kalamaro: Mi ankaŭ fartas bone.

Anglerfiŝo: Kiu estas tiu fiŝo?

Giganta kalamaro: Tiu fiŝo estas mia manĝaĵo. ha ha ha !!!

Anglerfiŝo: Kiel ĝi nomiĝas?

Giganta kalamaro: Mi ne scias ĝian nomon.

Anglerfiŝo: Kioma horo estas?

Giganta kalamaro: Mi ne scias. 

Anglerfiŝo: Ĝis!

Giganta kalaramo: Adiaŭ!

ਐਂਗਲਰਫਿਸ਼ ਅਤੇ ਦੈਂਤ ਸਕਵਿਡ ਆਪਸ ਵਿਚ ਫ਼ਾਰਸੀ ਵਿਚ ਗੱਲਾਂ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਨ

ਈਰਾਜ ਬਸ਼ੀਰੀ ਦੀ ਕਿਤਾਬ Persian for Beginners (ਸਿਖ਼ਾਂਦਰੂਆਂ ਲਈ ਫ਼ਾਰਸੀ) ਦੇ ਦੂਜੇ ਸਬਕ ਦੀ ਛੇਵੀਂ ਐਕਸਰਸਾਇਜ਼ ਸਬਕ ਇੱਕ ਅਤੇ ਦੋ ਦੇ ਡਾਇਲੋਗ ਨੂੰ ਜੋਡ਼ਨ ਲਈ ਆਖਦੀ ਹੈ। ਮੈਨੂੰ ਇਹ ਡਾਇਲੋਗ ਬਣਾ ਕੇ ਬਹੁਤ ਮਜ਼ਾ ਆਇਆ। ਮੈਂ ਇਸ ਡਾਇਲੋਗ ਵਿਚ ਦੋ ਨਵੇਂ ਕਿਰਦਾਰ ਅਤੇ ਇੱਕ ਨਵਾਂ ਨਾਉਂ ਜੋਡ਼ੇ ਹਨ।

ਇਹ ਰਿਹਾ ਡਾਇਲੋਗ: 

ائنگارماهی^{ਐਂਗਲਰਫਿਸ਼} :‌ سلام علیکم.

ماهی مرکب غول ^{ਦੈਂਤ ਸਕਵਿਡ} :‌ سلام!‌ حال شما چطور است؟

ائنگلر ماهی :‌بد نیستم. متشکرم. حال شما چطور است؟

ماهی مرکب غول :‌ حال من هم خوب است.

ائنگلر ماهی :‌آن ماهی کی است؟

ماهی مرکب غول :‌ آن ماهی خوراک من است. ها ها ها!!!‌

ائنگلر ماهی :‌ اسم او ماهی چی است؟‌

ماهی مرکب غول :‌ اسم او ماهی نمیدانم.

ائنگلر ماهی :‌ چند ساعت است؟

ماهی مرکب غول :‌ نمیدانم.

ائنگلر ماهی :‌خدا حافظ.

ماهی مرکب غول :‌ تسلامت.

ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੀ ਗੱਲਬਾਤ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਵਿਚ:

ਐਂਗਲਰਫਿਸ਼: ਸਤਿ ਸ਼੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ।

ਦੈਂਤ ਸਕਵਿਡ: ਹੈਲੋ। ਕੀ ਹਾਲ-ਚਾਲ ਹੈ?

ਐਂਗਲਰਫਿਸ਼: ਹਾਲ ਬੁਰਾ ਨਹੀ ਹੈ। ਧੰਨਵਾਦ। ਤੁਸੀ ਸੁਣਾਓ?

ਦੈਂਤ ਸਕਵਿਡ: ਮੈਂ ਵੀ ਠੀਕ ਹਾਂ।

ਐਂਗਲਰਫਿਸ਼: ਉਹ ਮਛਲੀ ਕਿਹਡ਼ੀ ਹੈ?

ਦੈਂਤ ਸਕਵਿਡ: ਉਹ ਮਛਲੀ ਮੇਰੀ ਖੁਰਾਕ ਹੈ। ਹਾ ਹਾ ਹਾ!!!

ਐਂਗਲਰਫਿਸ਼: ਉਸਦਾ ਨਾਂ ਕੀ ਹੈ?

ਦੈਂਤ ਸਕਵਿਡ: ਮੈਨੂੰ ਨਹੀ ਪਤਾ।

ਐਂਗਲਰਫਿਸ਼: ਕੀ ਟਾਇਮ ਹੈ?

ਦੈਂਤ ਸਕਵਿਡ: ਮੈਨੂੰ ਨਹੀ ਪਤਾ।

ਐਂਗਲਰਫਿਸ਼: ਖੁਦਾ ਹਾਫਿਜ਼।

ਦੈਂਤ ਸਕਵਿਡ: ਚੰਗਾ।

زبان فارسی - Persian language

That was in December. I suddenly decided to learn Persian, and then equally suddenly gave up. It's been more than two months now, and I want to try again. In fact I have returned to Iraj Bashiri's Persian for Beginners.* That's an excellent course. I revised the first two lessons. I plan to revise two more today, and then move at a slower pace. I think it will be great if I could finish this 348-page 15-lesson course in two months. For the time being, I can only say: 

آموزگار من اراج بشیری خوب است. کتابش هم خوب است. آن کتاب خوبتر است. 

My teacher Iraj Bashiri is good. His book is good too. [In fact] That book is better.

* Chapter 15 is unavailable. Do a little Google-ing or Bing-ing or DuckDuckGo-ing or what-not and you shall find that. 

Mission Persian (1)

Have done four lessons. Here is all the new vocabulary. This is less than a quarter of the total vocabulary in the first four lessons. The remaining was either the same as in Punjabi, or too similar.

It's not a cakewalk. It's not too difficult either. I hope I can create a small (100-word?) article in Persian on 1 January, 2013.

Mission Persian

I always pick up a difficult language that takes a long time to learn. I have tried French, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, Swahili and a whole bunch of others. Every time I lose interest after a while. I am surprised at myself that I haven't given up Chinese even after more than ten-eleven months. I don't study Chinese everyday. I have slowed down to merely two lessons a week. I feel so bad. But I have an idea which I think will give me confidence and I will be able to learn Chinese with a renewed vigour.

I am going to put Chinese aside for a month and focus on the easiest language for Punjabi speakers. Hindi/Urdu is the easiest language for a Punjabi speaker. Both Hindi/Urdu and Punjabi share lot of vocabulary and the grammar is more or less identical. I already speak and read and write Hindi and Urdu. So I have to find the second easiest language!

The contenders for the second easiest language are:

(1) Bengali 

(2) Oriya

(3) Gujarati

(4) Nepali

(5) Persian

Of these five, the first four show a great deal of Sanskrit influence. An upside of this is that I will pick up vocabulary really fast, thanks to Hindi/Urdu. They are Indo-European so grammar will be familiar. There is but one problem: I am not interested in either of these. 

I can always find someone who speaks English or Hindi from these states or Nepal. I don't think there exist many books in these languages and they aren't even used in universities.

That leaves Persian as the sole candidate. Persian shares a lot of vocabulary with Punjabi. In fact, so much so that of all Persian words on this page only جا, بسلامت and مرسی should be foreign to an average Punjabi speaker. 

Persian is Indo-European so the grammar shouldn't pose much difficulty. It's used in universities in Iran and I will be able to read some of the greatest poets in the world in original. 

Until the middle of the 18th century, Persian had been India's official language for over five centuries. A lot of Indian writers and poets of that era wrote in Persian. The famous letter of Guru Gobind Singh, addressed to the Indian emperor Aurangzeb, is written in Persian. Even in the 20th century, Allama Iqbal was writing in Persian (in addition to English and Urdu). And to top it all, I am interested in Persian more than the remaining four.

To tell the truth, Punjabi food and culture still shows a lot of Persian influence. Thanks to Sikhism, the caste system is weak and people are liberal. Moreover, I want to see the look on my silly sister's face when she will shout "Ki farsi boli janda?" (What are you speaking? Greek?)

The Frenchies say 'It's Chinese to me.', the English say 'It's Greek to me' and Indians and Pakistanis show their astonishment on hearing a new language by 'It's Persian to me!'

Enough of the propaganda for Persian! Here is my plan: 

Plan: Focus only on Persian during December

Aim: To create a Wikipedia article or a blog post in Persian on 1 January, 2013

Course: Persian for Beginners

Current status: Did two lessons today