Basic Communication

Basics. What we master first.

• The Language Instinct:  How the Mind Creates Language
• How to Beshkan
• Beshkan aka “Crazy Iranian Hand Jive”
• Four Saturday Soiree
• You’ve got the power a.k.a. extiAr dArid
• Persian a.k.a. Farsi
• Pleasantries
• Sentences with Pleasantries Magnets
• Sentences with Courtship Magnets
• First Encounter
• Your Role
• Two Veins

The Language Instinct:  How the Mind Creates Language

Language • Grammar • Academic Language • Basic Communication • Creativity •
by Rezwan on 03/27 at 08:17 AM
Permalink »

How to Beshkan

دستور بشكن

Basic Communication • Body Language •
by Rezwan on 12/20 at 01:04 AM
Permalink »

In this instructional video, the mysteries of Beshkan will be revealed!  First, are you right handed or left handed?  The video shows a left-handed beshkan (actually, right handed, taken in the mirror.).  The frames below that show the right hand Beshkan.  Now, let’s go to video:

Beshkan aka “Crazy Iranian Hand Jive”

بشكن

Basic Communication • Body Language •
by Rezwan on 12/20 at 12:07 AM
Permalink »

What is Beshkan?

“Beshkan” is traditional Persian two handed finger snapping.  We don’t know how traditional it is, or when it originated, but we do have some live footage to show you that you, too, can make this freaky sound.  No double jointedness required.  Ordinary hands will suffice.

Four Saturday Soiree

چار شنبه سورى

Basic Communication • Body Language • Creativity • Mythology •
by Rezwan on 12/17 at 06:57 PM
Permalink »

What is this man doing?

1. dodging a flame thrower;
2. dancing in Jerry Bruckheimer’s “Swan Lake”;
3. taking off with his rocket propelled back pack
4. sacrificing himself by throwing his body on the fire to put it out and save all those people behind him;
5. leaping over fire in an ancient pre-new years purification rite.

You’ve got the power a.k.a. extiAr dArid

اختيار داريد

Words • Vocabulary • Basic Communication • t'Arof • Creativity • Poetry •
by Rezwan on 12/17 at 04:09 PM
Permalink »

My favorite Persian t’Arof, right up there with “step on my eyeballs” and “I am your sacrifice” is this one.  “extiAr dArid.”  (Others write it as ekhtiaar, ekhtyar, ekhtyaar.  Sound it out: ecch, like yeccch, ti like tea, Ar, like are.  eccch-tea-are, d-are-eed.  extiAr dArid.  See our transliteration section).  What does it mean, and why is it the coolest t’Arof ever?

Persian a.k.a. Farsi

فارسى يا پرشن

About • Words • Vocabulary • Basic Communication • Vernacular •
by Rezwan on 12/17 at 01:39 PM
Permalink »

The Raging Controversy

For some time now, the Persian Language Police in America have insisted that people refer to the Persian language as “Farsi” - even while they are speaking English. These same Language Police do not, however, insist on the reverse: that people refer to the English language as English even if they are speaking Persian. Instead, they let those Persian speakers call the English language “Ingilisi” to their heart’s content.

Pleasantries

تعارف

Basic Communication • t'Arof •
by Rezwan on 12/03 at 05:22 PM
Permalink »

ُThe Pleasantries (a.k.a. “t’Arof”) magnet kit features over 600 Persian words of desperate supplication and inverted one-upmanship. Millions of possible self-sacrificing sentence combinations. The words are on magnetic word tiles. Where possible, English transliteration and translation on reverse side. Both sides stick to steel surfaces. Alphabet card and instruction sheet included.  For creativity, education and fun!  Great for all ages!  The perfect gift for everyone on your list! 
{embed=buttons/buypleasantries}

Sentences with Pleasantries Magnets

Grammar • Sentence Basics • Basic Communication • t'Arof • Products •
by Rezwan on 12/01 at 02:00 AM
Permalink »

This sentence means: “Step on my eyeballs” and is a classic pleasantry. - read it right to left, of course, like this: qadam ru toxm{embed=bits/ezafe-e}  cheshm. 
Check out more sentences and see how things get lost (and found) in translation.
Also, don’t forget to join the forums and contribute your own sentences to the Pleasantries-تعارف cyber-fridge! 

You can also post your creations on twitter like I do!

Sentences with Courtship Magnets

جمله سازی با مغناطیسهای خواستگاری

Grammar • Sentence Basics • Basic Communication • Creativity • Creative Writing Exercises • Products •
by Rezwan on 11/29 at 03:28 PM
Permalink »

This sentence means: “The picture of the beloved laughs at me.” - read it right to left, of course, like this: aks{embed=bits/ezafe-e} ma’shuq be man mixandeh. 
Check out more sentences and see how things get lost (and found) in translation.
Also, don’t forget to join the forums and contribute your own sentences to the Courtship cyber-fridge!  You can also post your creations on twitter like I do!

First Encounter

اولين برخورد

About • Basic Communication • Idioms •
by Rezwan on 02/06 at 01:31 AM
Permalink »

Welcome to ajaban zabAn!  You have added a hundred years to our life!  Or a hundred megabytes to our bandwidth!  Please walk on our eyeballs.  And then take a moment to get oriented:

Your Role

About • Basic Communication • Idioms •
by Rezwan on 01/24 at 07:44 PM
Permalink »

قطره قطره جمع گردد - وانگهى دريا شود

Two Veins

كيفيت دو رگه بودن

About • Basic Communication • Idioms •
by Rezwan on 01/22 at 02:50 PM
Permalink »

Some Iranian terms (a.k.a. slurs) for dual nationality.