Tajikistan for studying Farsi?

[vagabond]

Was just saying my friend was overseas for his PhD, not that you had to go that route. Would say if you don't want to waste your money to a) get a second Master's and b) get in the US from a program w/ good study abroad available. Obviously if you can get into U of Chicago you're probably decently smart so doubt it should be much trouble getting into UCLA and esp. ASU (tits! beer!). Also, pm Fansy or wave your hands in the air and get his attention.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92d1xtjXf8E[/youtube]

[buffybot_in_beirut]

For top-quality regional studies of Africa or Asia there is probably no better place than the good old SOAS in London. Neither Iran nor Tajikistan (let alone Afghanistan) are known for top marks in university rankings...

To me Farsi in Iran always sounded the best, but since I don't speak it it's maybe only a subjective ranking - as in sounded "beautiful" or "pleasant". I know well-educated Iranians who had no problems using their Farsi in both Afghanistan and Tajikistan in sophisticated and professional work settings. Apparently the Tajik vocabulary is a bit weird - the equivalent of apartment in the US vs. flat in Britain and so on.

Tajikistan is a cool place to spend some time and Dushanbe is said to be the most pleasant capital of Central Asia. Compared with Tashkent and Asghabad (the only other two towns I know) that is certainly true. When I was in Dushanbe almost a decade ago it was an extremely isolated, at-the-end-of-the-world capital, but in a good way. Nothing terribly bothersome except the lack of consumer goods and international flights. I would reckon things have improved by now. The town is as pretty as all of Tajikistan is stunning. Once your paperwork is sorted out nobody will bother you much. It is safer than Afghanistan and more liberal than Iran. As already mentioned, the one big problem with Tajik is its cyrillic script. You will be able to speak and understand the language, but won't be able to read or write a word in Iran and Afghanistan, which are arguably more important countries (politically, economically, job opportunities, involvement of international community). Many foreigners I knew in Dushanbe did not "waste" their time learning that exotic language of Tajik, but studied Russian instead...

Even though some places in Afghanistan are surviveable (Herat, Mazar), the only location that is really safe is Bamyan. It is not exactly a metropolis though and about as common a destination for tertiary education as Agadez, Kampot or Gbadolite.

[thewalrus]

For top-quality regional studies of Africa or Asia there is probably no better place than the good old SOAS in London. Neither Iran nor Tajikistan (let alone Afghanistan) are known for top marks in university rankings...

To me Farsi in Iran always sounded the best, but since I don't speak it it's maybe only a subjective ranking - as in sounded "beautiful" or "pleasant". I know well-educated Iranians who had no problems using their Farsi in both Afghanistan and Tajikistan in sophisticated and professional work settings. Apparently the Tajik vocabulary is a bit weird - the equivalent of apartment in the US vs. flat in Britain and so on.

Tajikistan is a cool place to spend some time and Dushanbe is said to be the most pleasant capital of Central Asia. Compared with Tashkent and Asghabad (the only other two towns I know) that is certainly true. When I was in Dushanbe almost a decade ago it was an extremely isolated, at-the-end-of-the-world capital, but in a good way. Nothing terribly bothersome except the lack of consumer goods and international flights. I would reckon things have improved by now. The town is as pretty as all of Tajikistan is stunning. Once your paperwork is sorted out nobody will bother you much. It is safer than Afghanistan and more liberal than Iran. As already mentioned, the one big problem with Tajik is its cyrillic script. You will be able to speak and understand the language, but won't be able to read or write a word in Iran and Afghanistan, which are arguably more important countries (politically, economically, job opportunities, involvement of international community). Many foreigners I knew in Dushanbe did not "waste" their time learning that exotic language of Tajik, but studied Russian instead...

Even though some places in Afghanistan are surviveable (Herat, Mazar), the only location that is really safe is Bamyan. It is not exactly a metropolis though and about as common a destination for tertiary education as Agadez, Kampot or Gbadolite.

Tajik Dari is as different from Iranian standard Farsi as... let's say, the English slang, metaphors, the accent and vocabulary of Galveston, TX compared to the same English as spoken in a small town in northern Ireland. It's significantly different. A great deal more than just vocabulary such as "flat" vs "apartment".

There are many things that have diverged even between Kabul standard Dari and Iranian Farsi. For example the noun for the common housecat in Afghanistan is "peshak", in Iran it is "gorbeh". Many other things are like that.

If you look at historical maps of the Persian empire, the area that is now Tajikistan was on the far end of the Persian empire's reach and influence. The language and accent there reflect that. Kabul Dari is much closer to Iranian in vocabulary and written usage, and Herati Dari is even closer. Many native Herati speakers sound *exactly* like Iranians if you call them on the phone.

Don't just take my word for it, I'm married to a fluent, first-language native Dari speaker, and my original post in the thread is her advice on the best places to study the language. One advantage that Iran has going for it right now is the currency exchange rate, due to sanctions and economic problems it is really cheap to travel in Iran right now, rent a place to stay, particularly in a medium sized city that is not Tehran. Mashad or Qom perhaps.

For a person accustomed to hearing Kabul standard Dari, Iranian Farsi sounds really nasal... like "nyan nyan nyan nyan"

[dicey]

Hey All,

I wanted to respond and say thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread. Unfortunately for me the stars did not align as I had hoped. The program I zeroed in on, for anyone who comes here for information later, was to be a custom language solution at Monterey Institute of International Studies. It looks solid.

On to the next adventure...

PS Team America was an instant classic, IMO. Apples to oranges, but it holds its own with Voltaire and the like. Loved it.