[XeTeX] [Off-topic] Persian versus Farsi

[Philip TAYLOR (Webmaster, Ret'd)]

Vafa Khalighi wrote:
>
>
> What is the historical name of the language of Persian nation in the 
> west? is it Farsi or Persian? Was it Persian empire or Farsian Empire?

Persian, as you well know.  But now we are asked to call the country "Iran",
and the people "Iranian", so preferred names can change.  And while it is
most certainly not for me to say whether "Persian" or "Farsi" is the 
better name
for the language today, if there is disagreement amongst the Iranian people
themselves then all is not as clear-cut as it might be.
>
>
> But if the Persian name for the Persian language is, in 
> transliteration, /Fārsī/,
> is it really logical for the Persian nation (or should I here be 
> writing "Iranian" ?
> This is quite a linguistic minefield) to seek to tell the West that 
> while it
> is perfectly normal for a Persian (Iranian) to call his language 
> /Fārsī/, we in the
> west must call it Persian ?!
>
> Why not?
What gives the people of one nation the right to tell the people of another
nation what the latter must call the language of the former ?  The people
from the Netherlands don't seek to tell us we must call their language
"Nederlands"; they know that we call it "Dutch", and their country 
"Holland",
and even if both of these are indefensible in terms of logic, it is simply
the /status quo/.

** Phil.
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