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Books by Pouneh Shabani-Jadidi

Research paper thumbnail of Persian Literary Devices: Eight Essays

Springer, 2024

This volume offers a glimpse into the rich tradition of literary devices in Persian language and ... more This volume offers a glimpse into the rich tradition of literary devices in Persian language and literature. It establishes an incontrovertible connection between literary devices - figurative language, rhetoric, and so on - and pedagogy and poetics in both written and oral expression. The essays offer a detailed and thorough overview of some of these literary devices and their dynamics, which have helped make the Persian literary tradition a force to reckon with. The essays also carve out a space dedicated to colloquialisms and idioms, as they are interwoven into the fabric of Persian culture— within the larger field of rhetoric. These devices are fostered and furthered in their potency, both culturally and linguistically, by the poets, writers, and rhetoricians who utilize them. The essays highlight a culture and history in texts and oral history that further speak to a culturally tailored complexity as per figurative language, idioms, colloquialisms, and the rhetoric they help found and/or re-define. These discussions and analyses further facilitate an understanding of the epistemological and cultural meaning of some of the constituents of what is otherwise a Persian identity. This work is a must-have for scholars and students of Persian, Arabic, Ottoman, and Urdu literature, not to mention Middle Eastern history and cultural poetics enthusiasts.

Research paper thumbnail of The Art of Teaching Persian Literature: From Theory to Practice

Brill, 2024

This unique book is the first publication on the art of teaching Persian literature in English, c... more This unique book is the first publication on the art of teaching Persian literature in English, consisting of 18 chapters by prominent earlycareer, mid-career and established scholars, who generously share their experiences and methodologies in teaching both classical and modern Persian literature across various academic traditions in the world. The volume is divided into three parts: the background to teaching Persian literature, teaching Persian literature: pedagogy, translation and canon, and thematic and topical approaches to the Persian literature class. It includes such topics as the history of teaching Persian literature, the traditional teaching of Persian literature, the political and ideological intentions revealed in the formation of the Persian literature curriculum, the necessity to include marginalized modern Persian literature, such as women's or diaspora literature, and more applied approaches to curriculum development and teaching.

Research paper thumbnail of The Routledge Intermediate Persian Course Farsi Shirin Ast, Book Two

Routledge, 2023

The Routledge Intermediate Persian Course, second edition, is an intermediate level Persian textb... more The Routledge Intermediate Persian Course, second edition, is an intermediate level Persian textbook written specifically for English-speaking university students that incorporates the guidelines of the American Council of Teaching Foreign Languages and those of the Common European Framework of Reference in its tasks and activities.

The diversity of the texts in this textbook helps to familiarize students with a range of literary genres and provides them with the necessary building blocks to continue reading on their own.

One of the distinctive features of this book is its content-based and task-based approach to learning the language; all the material provided has been carefully selected to support and enhance a student-centred class environment. In addition, all the texts are real texts and excerpts extracted from books published in Iran.

As with The Routledge Introductory Persian Course , all the texts in this volume are available online in the form of audio files. These texts are recorded by native speakers and available for instructors and students to download freely at www.routledge.com/9781032319728.

The Routledge Intermediate Persian Course: Farsi Shirin Ast, Book Two, second edition, follows on where the first textbook ends and is ideal for all intermediate learners of Persian in their second year of study.

Research paper thumbnail of The Bewildered Cameleer: A Novel of Modern Iran

Mazda Publishers, 2023

The Bewildered Cameleer is a novel by Iran’s first and best-known Iranian female novelist and sho... more The Bewildered Cameleer is a novel by Iran’s first and best-known Iranian female novelist and short-story writer, Simin Daneshvar (1921-2012). Published in Tehran in 2001, it is the second book of what was intended to be a trilogy. The translation of the first book of the trilogy, Island of Bewilderment, has recently been published by Syracuse University Press (2022). Unfortunately, the manuscript of the third book has been lost since 2007. While The Bewildered Cameleer includes most of the same characters featured in Island of Bewilderment, it is not necessary to have read the first book in order to understand and appreciate the second. Each book stands on its own as a complete novel.

The Bewildered Cameleer takes place in Iran (primarily Tehran) during the last few years of the Pahlavi regime and the first years of the Islamic Republic (approximately 1976 to 1981). The story focuses on several young adults trying to work out their personal and familia relationships; to establish their particular stance with respect to political theory and action, philosophical positions, and spiritual beliefs; and to build satisfying lives for themselves in the midst of the significant social, economic, and political pressures of the era. The primary protagonist is Hasti Nourian, a college-educated artist in her late 20s who is somewhat unwillingly drawn into the politics of pre- and post-revolutionary Iran. It is a historical novel, recounting many events of the period vividly and realistically.

As the book opens, Hasti is in prison largely because of her association with peers politically active in opposition to the Pahlavi regime. Meanwhile, Salim Farrokhi, a suitor whom she recently privately married, is grappling with his feelings about her, especially since she neglected to take advantage of his efforts to rescue her. In the next several chapters we learn more about the events leading up to Hasti’s arrest and her motivations in forgoing the rescue opportunity, and we meet most of the other major characters. We also get a glimpse into the treatment of prisoners, particularly political prisoners, during the Pahlavi era.

When Hasti returns home, she finds her family life in disarray. Things have deteriorated in part due to her imprisonment and absence, but also due to the increasingly unstable political situation. Some of her friends and family members are packing up to leave the country, while others are becoming more involved in anti-regime political activities, secular and religious.

In the immediate post-revolutionary period, Hasti and her family are caught up in the enthusiasm of some to Islamicize the country and to upend social classes. Through her characters, Daneshvar criticizes the inefficiency, hypocrisy, and lack of compassion of those in power in the immediate post-revolution period, the results of which proved even more disastrous during the first years of the war with Iraq.

Research paper thumbnail of Island of Bewilderment

Syracuse University Press, 2022

Island of Bewilderment (Jazireh-ye sargardani in the original Persian) is a historical novel set ... more Island of Bewilderment (Jazireh-ye sargardani in the original Persian) is a historical novel set in Tehran, Iran in the early 1970s, just a few years before the revolution of 1977-79, which ended the fifty-year rule of the Pahlavis and led to the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It was a tumultuous period during which Iran was awash with oil money; the streets of northern Tehran, in particular, were peppered with American and European advisers, businessmen, and their families; thousands of Iranian students filled U.S. and European universities; and Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi was depicted in the Western press as an enlightened monarch firmly leading his country into a golden age of economic development and cultural flowering. Yet the gap between rich and poor was widening; the rural population, squeezed out of their niche by the mechanization of agriculture and the importation of foodstuffs, was flocking to urban slums; there was growing resentment among the traditional middle and lower classes and among some intellectuals as well of the presence of so many foreigners; religious leaders railed increasingly publicly against the erosion of traditional values by Western cultural influences; and a few small groups of dissidents were preparing for and initiating armed struggle against the state. Island of Bewilderment vividly depicts many of these social, cultural, and economic fissures in Iran at that time and explores the roots and stirrings of political protest.

Research paper thumbnail of The Routledge Handbook of Persian Literary Translation

Routledge , 2022

The Routledge Handbook of Persian Literary Translation offers a detailed overview of the field of... more The Routledge Handbook of Persian Literary Translation offers a detailed overview of the field of Persian literature in translation, discusses the development of the field, gives critical expression to research on Persian literature in translation, and brings together cutting-edge theoretical and practical research. The book is divided into the following three parts: I) Translation of classical Persian literature, II) Translation of modern Persian literature, and III) Persian literary translation in practice.
The chapters of the book are authored by internationally renowned scholars in the field, and is an essential reference for scholars and their advanced students as well as for those researching in related areas and for independent translators of Persian literature.

Research paper thumbnail of The Eight Books: A Complete English Translation

Brill, 2021

The Eight Books: A Complete English Translation is the first complete translation of the collecte... more The Eight Books: A Complete English Translation is the first complete translation of the collected poems of Sohrab Sepehri (1928-1980), a major Iranian modernist poet and painter and yet under-translated into English. The introduction takes up Sepehri's famously difficult if languidly beautiful style to explain it as a series of appropriations of global modernisms in poetry and painting. It offers close readings of how Sepehri's modernism follows and breaks with the jagged rhythms of Nima Yushij (d.1960), Iran's inaugural modernist poet. In keeping with this modernist framing, the translations replicate Sepehri's rhymes where possible, his fluctuations between formal and colloquial registers, his syntactic distortions, and his embeddings of governmental and other jargons. It also includes Sepehri's autobiography.

Research paper thumbnail of Hafez in Love

Syracuse University Press, 2021

Shams al-Din Mohammad Hafez is in love. He is in love with a girl, with a city, and with Persian ... more Shams al-Din Mohammad Hafez is in love. He is in love with a girl, with a city, and with Persian poetry. Despite his enmity with the new and dangerous city leader, the jealousy of his fellow court poets, and the competition for his beloved, Iran’s favorite poet remains unbothered. When his wit and charm are not enough to keep him safe in Shiraz, his friends conspire to keep him out of trouble. But their schemes are unsuccessful. Nothing will chase Hafez from this city of wine and roses.

In Pezeshkzad’s fictional account, Hafez’s life in fourteenth-century Shiraz is a mix of peril and humor. Set in a city that is at once beautiful and cutthroat, the novel includes a cast of historical figures to illuminate this elusive poet of the Persian literary tradition. Shabani-Jadidi and Higgins’s translation brings the beloved poetry of Hafez alive for an English audience and reacquaints readers with the comic wit and original storytelling of Pezeshkzad.

Research paper thumbnail of The Thousand Families: Commentary on Leading Political Figures of Nineteenth Century Iran

The Thousand Families by Ali Shabani, former court journalist and writer under Mohammad Reza Shah... more The Thousand Families by Ali Shabani, former court journalist and writer under Mohammad Reza Shah, is a lively and entertaining anecdotal history of the Qajar family, who ruled Iran from 1796 to 1925, as well as a number of their associates. Using memoirs, diaries, government documents, and nineteenth century histories, the author paints a vivid picture of the strengths and weaknesses, character and habits, and family backgrounds and familial legacies of the leading figures of the day. He comments, often ironically and with novel metaphors and sometimes biting criticism, on the behavior of these leaders, and he provides concise observations concerning the effects of their actions on the country and people of Iran. He outlines as well the policies and practices of the Qajars with respect to governance and traces the changes effected in the overall governmental structure of Iran during the nineteenth and early twentieth century. The gradually increasing influence of foreign powers (primarily Great Britain and Russia) throughout this era does not escape the author’s acerbic comments. Appendices provide extensive documentation on kinship relationships within the royal family.
The translators have added notes, bracketed in the text and in footnotes, to help orient readers less familiar with Iranian history than the author’s original audience. These include key dates, more detail on sources (when available), reference to easily accessible additional information on key figures, and explanations of selected Persian sayings, customs, and practices.

Research paper thumbnail of The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Pedagogy of Persian Edited by Pouneh Shabani-Jadidi

Routledge, 2020

The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Pedagogy of Persian offers a detailed o... more The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Pedagogy of Persian offers a detailed overview of the field of Persian second language acquisition and pedagogy. The Handbook discusses its development and captures critical accounts of cutting edge research within the major subfields of Persian second language acquisition and pedagogy, as well as current debates and problems, and goes on to suggest productive lines of future research.

The book is divided into the following four parts: I) Theory-driven research on second language acquisition of Persian, II) Language skills in second language acquisition of Persian, III) Classroom research in second language acquisition and pedagogy of Persian, and IV) Social aspects of second language acquisition and pedagogy of Persian.

The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Pedagogy of Persian is an essential reference for scholars and students of Persian SLA and pedagogy as well as those researching in related areas.

Research paper thumbnail of The Oxford Handbook of Persian Linguistics

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

This handbook offers a comprehensive overview of the field of Persian linguistics, discusses its ... more This handbook offers a comprehensive overview of the field of Persian linguistics, discusses its development, and captures critical accounts of cutting edge research within its major subfields, as well as outlining current debates and suggesting productive lines of future research. Leading scholars in the major subfields of Persian linguistics examine a range of topics split into six thematic parts. Following a detailed introduction from the editors, the volume begins by placing Persian in its historical and typological context in Part I. Chapters in Part II examine topics relating to phonetics and phonology, while Part III looks at approaches to and features of Persian syntax. The fourth part of the volume explores morphology and lexicography, as well as the work of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature. Part V, language and people, covers topics such as language contact and teaching Persian as a foreign language, while the final part examines psycho- neuro-, and computational linguistics. The volume will be an essential resource for all scholars with an interest in Persian language and linguistics.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction, Anousha Sedighi and Pouneh Shabani-Jadidi
Part I: Classification and History
2. From Old to New Persian, Mauro Maggi and Paola Orsatti
3. Typological approaches and dialects, Mohammad Dabir-Moghaddam
Part II: The Sound System
4. Phonetics, Golnaz Modarresi Ghavami
5. Phonology, Mahmood Bijankhan
6. Prosody, Arsalan Kahnemuyipour
Part III: Syntax
7. Generative approaches to syntax, Simin Karimi
8. Other approaches to syntax, Jila Ghomeshi
9. Specific features of Persian syntax, Pollet Samvelian
Part IV: Language and Words
10. Morphology, Behrooz Mahmoodi-Bakhtiari
11. Lexicography, Seyed Mostafa Assi
12. Academy of Persian Language and Literature, Mohammad Dabir-Moghaddam
Part V: Language and People
13. Sociolinguistics, Yahya Modarresi
14. Language contact and multilingualism in Iran, Shahrzad Mahootian
15. Persian as a heritage language, Anousha Sedighi
16. Teaching Persian to speakers of other languages, Pouneh Shabani-Jadidi and Anousha Sedighi
Part VI: Language, Mind, and Technology
17. Psycholinguistics, Pouneh Shabani-Jadidi
18. Neurolinguistics, Reza Nilipour
19. Computational linguistics, Karine Megerdoomian

Research paper thumbnail of Processing Compound Verbs in Persian: A Psycholinguistic Approach to Complex Predicates By Pouneh Shabani-Jadidi

This is the first book-length analysis of the way that Persian compound verbs are processed in th... more This is the first book-length analysis of the way that Persian compound verbs are processed in the mental lexicon. The study of this process offers ways to infer how these verbs are stored, organized, and accessed, drawing on psycho-linguistic theories of polymorphic word processing as well as linguistic theories of complex predicates.

Research paper thumbnail of Translation Metacognitive Strategies By Pouneh Shabani-Jadidi

Research paper thumbnail of What the Persian Media Says. A Course book

What the Persian Media Says: A Coursebook is a comprehensive and stimulating course for intermedi... more What the Persian Media Says: A Coursebook is a comprehensive and stimulating course for intermediate to advanced students of Persian. Presenting many exercises based on authentic Persian newspaper texts, the course thoroughly introduces students to the language of the news in Iran. Real cultural content is featured throughout and there is a strong focus on enabling students to gain familiarity with day-to-day modern Persian discourse.

Features include:

A wide range of interesting and challenging exercises presented throughout, including activities designed to both test students’ knowledge in a classroom setting and to search online for further Persian news resources
Usage of authentic texts from the Iranian media, written for native speakers, with sources including Ettela’at, Keyhan, Sharq, E’temad, Iran, and Mardomsalari
Coverage of topics highly relevant to modern day Persian society, including the Arts, divorce, violence, problems of youth, unemployment, politics and economic issues, enabling cultural engagement and knowledge of complex expressions and idioms used in the media

A comprehensive bilingual glossary of journalistic and non-journalistic terminology used in the newspaper texts, provided at the back of the book for easy access
All the newspaper texts and their corresponding audio files available for free download at http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9781138825567/
What the Persian Media Says combines modern and more traditional techniques of language teaching. With all the newspaper texts and their corresponding audio files available for free on the Routledge website, students can read the texts in digital form and listen to the audio while working on exercises in the book, enabling full and exciting engagement with the course materials.

Research paper thumbnail of The Routledge Advanced Persian Course

Routledge, 2020

The Routledge Advanced Persian Course: Farsi Shirin Ast 3 aims to help students of higher-level p... more The Routledge Advanced Persian Course: Farsi Shirin Ast 3 aims to help students of higher-level proficiency continue elevating their proficiency level to achieve near-native level. Key features include:

Authentic texts on a variety of topics related to Iran’s history, geography, arts, literature, culture, religions, society, and people.
Each lesson includes a prominent poet and their most representative poem familiarizing students with the Persian literary canon, while indirectly learning the higher order registers used in the language of poetry.
Lessons end with a Persian proverb and the story behind it, so that students will not only master the language but also the culture of the language and reach a near-native level of linguistic and cultural proficiency. The proverbs and some of the classical poetry are written in the calligraphy form to make students get used to reading handwritten texts resembling calligraphy.
Audio files are provided so that learners who are studying on their own can have access to correct pronunciations.
This textbook continues the series from The Routledge Intermediate Course in Persian and is ideal for Advanced or B2-C1 level students of Persian.

Research paper thumbnail of Routledge Intermediate Persian Course

Research paper thumbnail of Routledge Introductory Persian Course

Research paper thumbnail of The Routledge Introductory Persian Course: Farsi Shirin Ast, 2nd Edition

Routledge, 2020

The Routledge Introductory Persian Course: Farsi Shirin Ast, Second Edition, is an innovative cou... more The Routledge Introductory Persian Course: Farsi Shirin Ast, Second Edition, is an innovative course designed for students who are new to the language.

Focusing on grammatical and communicative competence, the course contains 15 lessons combining dialogues and texts with grammar explanations, exercises and audio materials to guide and support the student through the key skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Key features include:

Lively, content-based materials – the language is taught and practiced through a variety of dialogues and texts on the culture, history, and traditions of Iran
Complete vocabulary lists – each vocabulary entry contains the English meaning, the part of the speech in Persian, as well as a sample sentence in Persian
Colloquial situational dialogues – students are introduced to spoken Persian from the outset
Carefully controlled exercises – new grammatical points are practiced in a variety of controlled exercises that bridge between students’ existing information and the new information
Audio material – students can develop natural pronunciation by imitating the audio recordings of the vocabulary, dialogues, and texts available freely online
Glossaries – comprehensive Persian to English and English to Persian glossaries.
The course provides everything that students and instructors need for an engaging and effective learning environment.

Revised and updated, this new edition includes more vocabulary and grammar activities, and clearer learning outcomes.

Book Chapters by Pouneh Shabani-Jadidi

Research paper thumbnail of Persian Literary Translation: A Domain Analysis Survey

Brill, 2024

Although courses in translation are common in higher education in Iran and in Europe, in North Am... more Although courses in translation are common in higher education in Iran and
in Europe, in North America they are few in number, and there are even fewer
programs that are specifically on literary translation. This chapter undertakes
a domain analysis for a course on Persian literary translation. To that end,
stakeholders as well as the documents were identified and, through a qualitative survey, the curriculum content of the course was established. The target audience of such a course is undergraduate and graduate students at the intermediate-high or higher level of Persian proficiency, who want to be able to use their language and translation skills in their academic and/or professional careers. The target use domain is academic and professional translation of literary texts from Persian into English.

Research paper thumbnail of A Linguistic Perspective on Persian Literary Translation, in The Routledge Handbook of Persian Literary Translation, edited by Pouneh Shabani-Jadidi, Patricia Higgins, and Michelle Quay

Routledge, 2022

Translation is a complex decision-making process; perfect equivalence is a “utopian dream,” espec... more Translation is a complex decision-making process; perfect equivalence is a “utopian dream,” especially since any two languages are asymmetrical, and most words are polysemous even in the same language (Baer 2019, 59). This chapter begins by discussing different linguistic-oriented approaches to translation, moving to textual considerations, like stylistics, followed by translation universals, then to the translation process, and finally to extraneous considerations, such as translator invisibility or visibility. Subsequently, these discussions are applied to Persian literary translation by discussing comparative linguistics of Persian and English in terms of syntax and lexico-semantics, as well as discourse analysis and pragmatics.
Throughout this chapter, genuine examples from Persian literary translations are given, and different kinds of equivalences, as well as the problems that arise in finding these equivalences, are discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of Persian Literary Devices: Eight Essays

Springer, 2024

This volume offers a glimpse into the rich tradition of literary devices in Persian language and ... more This volume offers a glimpse into the rich tradition of literary devices in Persian language and literature. It establishes an incontrovertible connection between literary devices - figurative language, rhetoric, and so on - and pedagogy and poetics in both written and oral expression. The essays offer a detailed and thorough overview of some of these literary devices and their dynamics, which have helped make the Persian literary tradition a force to reckon with. The essays also carve out a space dedicated to colloquialisms and idioms, as they are interwoven into the fabric of Persian culture— within the larger field of rhetoric. These devices are fostered and furthered in their potency, both culturally and linguistically, by the poets, writers, and rhetoricians who utilize them. The essays highlight a culture and history in texts and oral history that further speak to a culturally tailored complexity as per figurative language, idioms, colloquialisms, and the rhetoric they help found and/or re-define. These discussions and analyses further facilitate an understanding of the epistemological and cultural meaning of some of the constituents of what is otherwise a Persian identity. This work is a must-have for scholars and students of Persian, Arabic, Ottoman, and Urdu literature, not to mention Middle Eastern history and cultural poetics enthusiasts.

Research paper thumbnail of The Art of Teaching Persian Literature: From Theory to Practice

Brill, 2024

This unique book is the first publication on the art of teaching Persian literature in English, c... more This unique book is the first publication on the art of teaching Persian literature in English, consisting of 18 chapters by prominent earlycareer, mid-career and established scholars, who generously share their experiences and methodologies in teaching both classical and modern Persian literature across various academic traditions in the world. The volume is divided into three parts: the background to teaching Persian literature, teaching Persian literature: pedagogy, translation and canon, and thematic and topical approaches to the Persian literature class. It includes such topics as the history of teaching Persian literature, the traditional teaching of Persian literature, the political and ideological intentions revealed in the formation of the Persian literature curriculum, the necessity to include marginalized modern Persian literature, such as women's or diaspora literature, and more applied approaches to curriculum development and teaching.

Research paper thumbnail of The Routledge Intermediate Persian Course Farsi Shirin Ast, Book Two

Routledge, 2023

The Routledge Intermediate Persian Course, second edition, is an intermediate level Persian textb... more The Routledge Intermediate Persian Course, second edition, is an intermediate level Persian textbook written specifically for English-speaking university students that incorporates the guidelines of the American Council of Teaching Foreign Languages and those of the Common European Framework of Reference in its tasks and activities.

The diversity of the texts in this textbook helps to familiarize students with a range of literary genres and provides them with the necessary building blocks to continue reading on their own.

One of the distinctive features of this book is its content-based and task-based approach to learning the language; all the material provided has been carefully selected to support and enhance a student-centred class environment. In addition, all the texts are real texts and excerpts extracted from books published in Iran.

As with The Routledge Introductory Persian Course , all the texts in this volume are available online in the form of audio files. These texts are recorded by native speakers and available for instructors and students to download freely at www.routledge.com/9781032319728.

The Routledge Intermediate Persian Course: Farsi Shirin Ast, Book Two, second edition, follows on where the first textbook ends and is ideal for all intermediate learners of Persian in their second year of study.

Research paper thumbnail of The Bewildered Cameleer: A Novel of Modern Iran

Mazda Publishers, 2023

The Bewildered Cameleer is a novel by Iran’s first and best-known Iranian female novelist and sho... more The Bewildered Cameleer is a novel by Iran’s first and best-known Iranian female novelist and short-story writer, Simin Daneshvar (1921-2012). Published in Tehran in 2001, it is the second book of what was intended to be a trilogy. The translation of the first book of the trilogy, Island of Bewilderment, has recently been published by Syracuse University Press (2022). Unfortunately, the manuscript of the third book has been lost since 2007. While The Bewildered Cameleer includes most of the same characters featured in Island of Bewilderment, it is not necessary to have read the first book in order to understand and appreciate the second. Each book stands on its own as a complete novel.

The Bewildered Cameleer takes place in Iran (primarily Tehran) during the last few years of the Pahlavi regime and the first years of the Islamic Republic (approximately 1976 to 1981). The story focuses on several young adults trying to work out their personal and familia relationships; to establish their particular stance with respect to political theory and action, philosophical positions, and spiritual beliefs; and to build satisfying lives for themselves in the midst of the significant social, economic, and political pressures of the era. The primary protagonist is Hasti Nourian, a college-educated artist in her late 20s who is somewhat unwillingly drawn into the politics of pre- and post-revolutionary Iran. It is a historical novel, recounting many events of the period vividly and realistically.

As the book opens, Hasti is in prison largely because of her association with peers politically active in opposition to the Pahlavi regime. Meanwhile, Salim Farrokhi, a suitor whom she recently privately married, is grappling with his feelings about her, especially since she neglected to take advantage of his efforts to rescue her. In the next several chapters we learn more about the events leading up to Hasti’s arrest and her motivations in forgoing the rescue opportunity, and we meet most of the other major characters. We also get a glimpse into the treatment of prisoners, particularly political prisoners, during the Pahlavi era.

When Hasti returns home, she finds her family life in disarray. Things have deteriorated in part due to her imprisonment and absence, but also due to the increasingly unstable political situation. Some of her friends and family members are packing up to leave the country, while others are becoming more involved in anti-regime political activities, secular and religious.

In the immediate post-revolutionary period, Hasti and her family are caught up in the enthusiasm of some to Islamicize the country and to upend social classes. Through her characters, Daneshvar criticizes the inefficiency, hypocrisy, and lack of compassion of those in power in the immediate post-revolution period, the results of which proved even more disastrous during the first years of the war with Iraq.

Research paper thumbnail of Island of Bewilderment

Syracuse University Press, 2022

Island of Bewilderment (Jazireh-ye sargardani in the original Persian) is a historical novel set ... more Island of Bewilderment (Jazireh-ye sargardani in the original Persian) is a historical novel set in Tehran, Iran in the early 1970s, just a few years before the revolution of 1977-79, which ended the fifty-year rule of the Pahlavis and led to the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It was a tumultuous period during which Iran was awash with oil money; the streets of northern Tehran, in particular, were peppered with American and European advisers, businessmen, and their families; thousands of Iranian students filled U.S. and European universities; and Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi was depicted in the Western press as an enlightened monarch firmly leading his country into a golden age of economic development and cultural flowering. Yet the gap between rich and poor was widening; the rural population, squeezed out of their niche by the mechanization of agriculture and the importation of foodstuffs, was flocking to urban slums; there was growing resentment among the traditional middle and lower classes and among some intellectuals as well of the presence of so many foreigners; religious leaders railed increasingly publicly against the erosion of traditional values by Western cultural influences; and a few small groups of dissidents were preparing for and initiating armed struggle against the state. Island of Bewilderment vividly depicts many of these social, cultural, and economic fissures in Iran at that time and explores the roots and stirrings of political protest.

Research paper thumbnail of The Routledge Handbook of Persian Literary Translation

Routledge , 2022

The Routledge Handbook of Persian Literary Translation offers a detailed overview of the field of... more The Routledge Handbook of Persian Literary Translation offers a detailed overview of the field of Persian literature in translation, discusses the development of the field, gives critical expression to research on Persian literature in translation, and brings together cutting-edge theoretical and practical research. The book is divided into the following three parts: I) Translation of classical Persian literature, II) Translation of modern Persian literature, and III) Persian literary translation in practice.
The chapters of the book are authored by internationally renowned scholars in the field, and is an essential reference for scholars and their advanced students as well as for those researching in related areas and for independent translators of Persian literature.

Research paper thumbnail of The Eight Books: A Complete English Translation

Brill, 2021

The Eight Books: A Complete English Translation is the first complete translation of the collecte... more The Eight Books: A Complete English Translation is the first complete translation of the collected poems of Sohrab Sepehri (1928-1980), a major Iranian modernist poet and painter and yet under-translated into English. The introduction takes up Sepehri's famously difficult if languidly beautiful style to explain it as a series of appropriations of global modernisms in poetry and painting. It offers close readings of how Sepehri's modernism follows and breaks with the jagged rhythms of Nima Yushij (d.1960), Iran's inaugural modernist poet. In keeping with this modernist framing, the translations replicate Sepehri's rhymes where possible, his fluctuations between formal and colloquial registers, his syntactic distortions, and his embeddings of governmental and other jargons. It also includes Sepehri's autobiography.

Research paper thumbnail of Hafez in Love

Syracuse University Press, 2021

Shams al-Din Mohammad Hafez is in love. He is in love with a girl, with a city, and with Persian ... more Shams al-Din Mohammad Hafez is in love. He is in love with a girl, with a city, and with Persian poetry. Despite his enmity with the new and dangerous city leader, the jealousy of his fellow court poets, and the competition for his beloved, Iran’s favorite poet remains unbothered. When his wit and charm are not enough to keep him safe in Shiraz, his friends conspire to keep him out of trouble. But their schemes are unsuccessful. Nothing will chase Hafez from this city of wine and roses.

In Pezeshkzad’s fictional account, Hafez’s life in fourteenth-century Shiraz is a mix of peril and humor. Set in a city that is at once beautiful and cutthroat, the novel includes a cast of historical figures to illuminate this elusive poet of the Persian literary tradition. Shabani-Jadidi and Higgins’s translation brings the beloved poetry of Hafez alive for an English audience and reacquaints readers with the comic wit and original storytelling of Pezeshkzad.

Research paper thumbnail of The Thousand Families: Commentary on Leading Political Figures of Nineteenth Century Iran

The Thousand Families by Ali Shabani, former court journalist and writer under Mohammad Reza Shah... more The Thousand Families by Ali Shabani, former court journalist and writer under Mohammad Reza Shah, is a lively and entertaining anecdotal history of the Qajar family, who ruled Iran from 1796 to 1925, as well as a number of their associates. Using memoirs, diaries, government documents, and nineteenth century histories, the author paints a vivid picture of the strengths and weaknesses, character and habits, and family backgrounds and familial legacies of the leading figures of the day. He comments, often ironically and with novel metaphors and sometimes biting criticism, on the behavior of these leaders, and he provides concise observations concerning the effects of their actions on the country and people of Iran. He outlines as well the policies and practices of the Qajars with respect to governance and traces the changes effected in the overall governmental structure of Iran during the nineteenth and early twentieth century. The gradually increasing influence of foreign powers (primarily Great Britain and Russia) throughout this era does not escape the author’s acerbic comments. Appendices provide extensive documentation on kinship relationships within the royal family.
The translators have added notes, bracketed in the text and in footnotes, to help orient readers less familiar with Iranian history than the author’s original audience. These include key dates, more detail on sources (when available), reference to easily accessible additional information on key figures, and explanations of selected Persian sayings, customs, and practices.

Research paper thumbnail of The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Pedagogy of Persian Edited by Pouneh Shabani-Jadidi

Routledge, 2020

The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Pedagogy of Persian offers a detailed o... more The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Pedagogy of Persian offers a detailed overview of the field of Persian second language acquisition and pedagogy. The Handbook discusses its development and captures critical accounts of cutting edge research within the major subfields of Persian second language acquisition and pedagogy, as well as current debates and problems, and goes on to suggest productive lines of future research.

The book is divided into the following four parts: I) Theory-driven research on second language acquisition of Persian, II) Language skills in second language acquisition of Persian, III) Classroom research in second language acquisition and pedagogy of Persian, and IV) Social aspects of second language acquisition and pedagogy of Persian.

The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Pedagogy of Persian is an essential reference for scholars and students of Persian SLA and pedagogy as well as those researching in related areas.

Research paper thumbnail of The Oxford Handbook of Persian Linguistics

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

This handbook offers a comprehensive overview of the field of Persian linguistics, discusses its ... more This handbook offers a comprehensive overview of the field of Persian linguistics, discusses its development, and captures critical accounts of cutting edge research within its major subfields, as well as outlining current debates and suggesting productive lines of future research. Leading scholars in the major subfields of Persian linguistics examine a range of topics split into six thematic parts. Following a detailed introduction from the editors, the volume begins by placing Persian in its historical and typological context in Part I. Chapters in Part II examine topics relating to phonetics and phonology, while Part III looks at approaches to and features of Persian syntax. The fourth part of the volume explores morphology and lexicography, as well as the work of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature. Part V, language and people, covers topics such as language contact and teaching Persian as a foreign language, while the final part examines psycho- neuro-, and computational linguistics. The volume will be an essential resource for all scholars with an interest in Persian language and linguistics.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction, Anousha Sedighi and Pouneh Shabani-Jadidi
Part I: Classification and History
2. From Old to New Persian, Mauro Maggi and Paola Orsatti
3. Typological approaches and dialects, Mohammad Dabir-Moghaddam
Part II: The Sound System
4. Phonetics, Golnaz Modarresi Ghavami
5. Phonology, Mahmood Bijankhan
6. Prosody, Arsalan Kahnemuyipour
Part III: Syntax
7. Generative approaches to syntax, Simin Karimi
8. Other approaches to syntax, Jila Ghomeshi
9. Specific features of Persian syntax, Pollet Samvelian
Part IV: Language and Words
10. Morphology, Behrooz Mahmoodi-Bakhtiari
11. Lexicography, Seyed Mostafa Assi
12. Academy of Persian Language and Literature, Mohammad Dabir-Moghaddam
Part V: Language and People
13. Sociolinguistics, Yahya Modarresi
14. Language contact and multilingualism in Iran, Shahrzad Mahootian
15. Persian as a heritage language, Anousha Sedighi
16. Teaching Persian to speakers of other languages, Pouneh Shabani-Jadidi and Anousha Sedighi
Part VI: Language, Mind, and Technology
17. Psycholinguistics, Pouneh Shabani-Jadidi
18. Neurolinguistics, Reza Nilipour
19. Computational linguistics, Karine Megerdoomian

Research paper thumbnail of Processing Compound Verbs in Persian: A Psycholinguistic Approach to Complex Predicates By Pouneh Shabani-Jadidi

This is the first book-length analysis of the way that Persian compound verbs are processed in th... more This is the first book-length analysis of the way that Persian compound verbs are processed in the mental lexicon. The study of this process offers ways to infer how these verbs are stored, organized, and accessed, drawing on psycho-linguistic theories of polymorphic word processing as well as linguistic theories of complex predicates.

Research paper thumbnail of Translation Metacognitive Strategies By Pouneh Shabani-Jadidi

Research paper thumbnail of What the Persian Media Says. A Course book

What the Persian Media Says: A Coursebook is a comprehensive and stimulating course for intermedi... more What the Persian Media Says: A Coursebook is a comprehensive and stimulating course for intermediate to advanced students of Persian. Presenting many exercises based on authentic Persian newspaper texts, the course thoroughly introduces students to the language of the news in Iran. Real cultural content is featured throughout and there is a strong focus on enabling students to gain familiarity with day-to-day modern Persian discourse.

Features include:

A wide range of interesting and challenging exercises presented throughout, including activities designed to both test students’ knowledge in a classroom setting and to search online for further Persian news resources
Usage of authentic texts from the Iranian media, written for native speakers, with sources including Ettela’at, Keyhan, Sharq, E’temad, Iran, and Mardomsalari
Coverage of topics highly relevant to modern day Persian society, including the Arts, divorce, violence, problems of youth, unemployment, politics and economic issues, enabling cultural engagement and knowledge of complex expressions and idioms used in the media

A comprehensive bilingual glossary of journalistic and non-journalistic terminology used in the newspaper texts, provided at the back of the book for easy access
All the newspaper texts and their corresponding audio files available for free download at http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9781138825567/
What the Persian Media Says combines modern and more traditional techniques of language teaching. With all the newspaper texts and their corresponding audio files available for free on the Routledge website, students can read the texts in digital form and listen to the audio while working on exercises in the book, enabling full and exciting engagement with the course materials.

Research paper thumbnail of The Routledge Advanced Persian Course

Routledge, 2020

The Routledge Advanced Persian Course: Farsi Shirin Ast 3 aims to help students of higher-level p... more The Routledge Advanced Persian Course: Farsi Shirin Ast 3 aims to help students of higher-level proficiency continue elevating their proficiency level to achieve near-native level. Key features include:

Authentic texts on a variety of topics related to Iran’s history, geography, arts, literature, culture, religions, society, and people.
Each lesson includes a prominent poet and their most representative poem familiarizing students with the Persian literary canon, while indirectly learning the higher order registers used in the language of poetry.
Lessons end with a Persian proverb and the story behind it, so that students will not only master the language but also the culture of the language and reach a near-native level of linguistic and cultural proficiency. The proverbs and some of the classical poetry are written in the calligraphy form to make students get used to reading handwritten texts resembling calligraphy.
Audio files are provided so that learners who are studying on their own can have access to correct pronunciations.
This textbook continues the series from The Routledge Intermediate Course in Persian and is ideal for Advanced or B2-C1 level students of Persian.

Research paper thumbnail of Routledge Intermediate Persian Course

Research paper thumbnail of Routledge Introductory Persian Course

Research paper thumbnail of The Routledge Introductory Persian Course: Farsi Shirin Ast, 2nd Edition

Routledge, 2020

The Routledge Introductory Persian Course: Farsi Shirin Ast, Second Edition, is an innovative cou... more The Routledge Introductory Persian Course: Farsi Shirin Ast, Second Edition, is an innovative course designed for students who are new to the language.

Focusing on grammatical and communicative competence, the course contains 15 lessons combining dialogues and texts with grammar explanations, exercises and audio materials to guide and support the student through the key skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Key features include:

Lively, content-based materials – the language is taught and practiced through a variety of dialogues and texts on the culture, history, and traditions of Iran
Complete vocabulary lists – each vocabulary entry contains the English meaning, the part of the speech in Persian, as well as a sample sentence in Persian
Colloquial situational dialogues – students are introduced to spoken Persian from the outset
Carefully controlled exercises – new grammatical points are practiced in a variety of controlled exercises that bridge between students’ existing information and the new information
Audio material – students can develop natural pronunciation by imitating the audio recordings of the vocabulary, dialogues, and texts available freely online
Glossaries – comprehensive Persian to English and English to Persian glossaries.
The course provides everything that students and instructors need for an engaging and effective learning environment.

Revised and updated, this new edition includes more vocabulary and grammar activities, and clearer learning outcomes.

Research paper thumbnail of Persian Literary Translation: A Domain Analysis Survey

Brill, 2024

Although courses in translation are common in higher education in Iran and in Europe, in North Am... more Although courses in translation are common in higher education in Iran and
in Europe, in North America they are few in number, and there are even fewer
programs that are specifically on literary translation. This chapter undertakes
a domain analysis for a course on Persian literary translation. To that end,
stakeholders as well as the documents were identified and, through a qualitative survey, the curriculum content of the course was established. The target audience of such a course is undergraduate and graduate students at the intermediate-high or higher level of Persian proficiency, who want to be able to use their language and translation skills in their academic and/or professional careers. The target use domain is academic and professional translation of literary texts from Persian into English.

Research paper thumbnail of A Linguistic Perspective on Persian Literary Translation, in The Routledge Handbook of Persian Literary Translation, edited by Pouneh Shabani-Jadidi, Patricia Higgins, and Michelle Quay

Routledge, 2022

Translation is a complex decision-making process; perfect equivalence is a “utopian dream,” espec... more Translation is a complex decision-making process; perfect equivalence is a “utopian dream,” especially since any two languages are asymmetrical, and most words are polysemous even in the same language (Baer 2019, 59). This chapter begins by discussing different linguistic-oriented approaches to translation, moving to textual considerations, like stylistics, followed by translation universals, then to the translation process, and finally to extraneous considerations, such as translator invisibility or visibility. Subsequently, these discussions are applied to Persian literary translation by discussing comparative linguistics of Persian and English in terms of syntax and lexico-semantics, as well as discourse analysis and pragmatics.
Throughout this chapter, genuine examples from Persian literary translations are given, and different kinds of equivalences, as well as the problems that arise in finding these equivalences, are discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of A cultural linguistic survey of nuances in translation in Persian Linguistics, in Cultural Contexts, edited by Alireza Korangy and Farzad Sharifian

Routledge, 2020

This paper examines linguistic and metalinguistic factors, including culture, that influence tran... more This paper examines linguistic and metalinguistic factors, including culture, that influence translation. First, it discusses the linguistic approaches to translation and their respective prevailing theories, including the Saussurean approach, the Systemic Functional approach, the Generative Dynamic approach, the Psycholinguistic approach, the Cognitive Linguistic approach, and the Relevance Theoretic approach. Then translational universals are explained as an offshoot of linguistic universals. Thereafter, the issue of culture in translation is discussed as per the translator becoming lost not only in translation but also in culture. I focus on the translation of poetry, in particular, because the issues faced by translators of poetry are reflective of universal issues in translation, although not so easily recognized. The essay culminates with a section on untranslatability of both linguistic and cultural kinds, as illustrated in particular in Persian to English translation.

Research paper thumbnail of Second Language Morphology: Case of Idiomatic Expressions, in Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Pedagogy of Persian, edited by Pouneh Shabani-Jadidi

Routledge, 2020

This chapter investigates the acquisition of second language morphology by showcasing a series of... more This chapter investigates the acquisition of second language morphology by showcasing a series of experimental studies on second language learners of Persian and the way they process, comprehend, and acquire morphologically complex idiomatic expressions in Persian.
Idiomatic expressions are not only part of the language but also part of the culture of the speakers of that language. Therefore, they pose further problems for a second language learner. For certain languages, such as Persian, idiomatic expressions are so common that one cannot claim to know the language without knowing these expressions. To this end,
the present chapter aims 1) to explore how idiomatic expressions are represented and accessed in the Mental Lexicon, 2) to compare first language and second language mental lexicons, 3) to review some current theories of idiomatic expressions processing, 4) to investigate the processing and acquisition of Persian idiomatic expressions, and finally 5)
to evaluate techniques for teaching second language idiomatic expressions.

Research paper thumbnail of TEACHING PERSIAN TO SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES, in Oxford Handbook of Persian Linguistics, edited by A. Sedighi and P. Shabani-Jadidi

Teaching and learning Persian as an additional language is facing unprecedented demand inside and... more Teaching and learning Persian as an additional language is facing unprecedented demand inside and outside the Persian speaking counties. This chapter discusses teaching Persian to speakers of other languages from a variety of perspectives. It provides a short account on the history of teaching Persian in non-Persian speaking countries and discusses the current status of teaching Persian to speakers of other languages both in the east and the west. The chapter also discusses second language acquisition studies on Persian as well as the recent tends on pedagogy and assessment. It also investigates the development of the Persian instructional material and discusses the available Persian textbooks. Lastly, the current issues and challenges of teaching Persian to speakers of other languages is discussed and explored.

Research paper thumbnail of PSYCHOLINGUISTICS, in in Oxford Handbook of Persian Linguistics, edited by A. Sedighi and P. Shabani-Jadidi

Psycholinguistics, as its name suggests, encompasses the psychology of language as well as lingui... more Psycholinguistics, as its name suggests, encompasses the psychology of language as well as linguistic psychology. Although they might sound similar, they are actually distinct. The first is a branch of linguistics, while the latter is a subdivision of psychology. In the psychology of language, the means are the research tools adopted from psychology and the end is the study of language. However, in linguistic psychology, the means are the data derived from linguistic studies and the end is psychology. This chapter focuses on the first of these two components; that is, the psychology of language. The goal of this chapter is to give a state of the art perspective on the small but growing body of research using psycholinguistic tools to study Persian with a focus on two areas: presenting longstanding debates about the mental lexicon, language impairments and language processing; and introducing a source of data for the linguistic analysis of Persian.

Research paper thumbnail of Second language morphology

Research paper thumbnail of Compound Verb Processing in Second Language Speakers of Persian

Iranian Studies, 2016

This study investigates compound verb processing in second language speakers (L2) of Persian. For... more This study investigates compound verb processing in second language speakers (L2) of Persian. Forty-six near-native L2 speakers of Persian were tested to examine the processing of transparent (non-idiomatic) and opaque (idiomatic) compound verbs, under masked priming paradigm. The results revealed a significant nominal priming effect in the opaque condition, and a numerically stronger nominal priming effect in the transparent condition. There was also an increase in the processing load on the parser when the target was an opaque compound. The results of this study seem to be compatible with the dual access or dual route hypothesis, yet with the version that assumes the two routes are activated in parallel rather than the version that assumes high frequency words are represented lexically but low frequency words are decomposed.

Research paper thumbnail of Psycholinguistics

Oxford University Press eBooks, Sep 10, 2018

Psycholinguistics encompasses the psychology of language as well as linguistic psychology. Althou... more Psycholinguistics encompasses the psychology of language as well as linguistic psychology. Although they might sound similar, they are actually distinct. The first is a branch of linguistics, while the latter is a subdivision of psychology. In the psychology of language, the means are the research tools adopted from psychology and the end is the study of language. However, in linguistic psychology, the means are the data derived from linguistic studies and the end is psychology. This chapter focuses on the first of these two components; that is, the psychology of language. The goal of this chapter is to give a state-of-the-art perspective on the small but growing body of research using psycholinguistic tools to study Persian with a focus on two areas: presenting longstanding debates about the mental lexicon, language impairments and language processing; and introducing a source of data for the linguistic analysis of Persian.

Research paper thumbnail of Translation Metacognitive Strategies

The focus of this study is translation, a task during which one's mind is constantly active i... more The focus of this study is translation, a task during which one's mind is constantly active in planning, regulating, and evaluating the cognitive processes involved. The present study is done in pursuit of discovering uniformity in human thought patterns - in this case, while translating. It strives to discover a framework for translation metacognitive strategies since this special domain of translation has not yet been tackled in the literature. Listening to learners articulate the metacognitive strategies that they use while translating, together with their functions and reasons, will add to our information about this complex task of translation. Moreover, investigating the impact of different factors, such as language proficiency, intelligence, and general texts versus specific ones, as well as different types of translation testing, will cast some light on the blurry field of translation. The results of this study will contribute to any translation related discipline, paving the way for further research into the fuzzy fields of translation in general and metacognition in particular.

Research paper thumbnail of The Routledge Advanced Persian Course: Farsi Shirin Ast 3

Research paper thumbnail of A Linguistic Perspective on Persian Literary Translation

Routledge eBooks, May 6, 2022

Translation is a complex decision-making process; perfect equivalence is a “utopian dream,” espec... more Translation is a complex decision-making process; perfect equivalence is a “utopian dream,” especially since any two languages are asymmetrical, and most words are polysemous even in the same language (Baer 2019, 59). This chapter begins by discussing different linguistic-oriented approaches to translation, moving to textual considerations, like stylistics, followed by translation universals, then to the translation process, and finally to extraneous considerations, such as translator invisibility or visibility. Subsequently, these discussions are applied to Persian literary translation by discussing comparative linguistics of Persian and English in terms of syntax and lexico-semantics, as well as discourse analysis and pragmatics. Throughout this chapter, genuine examples from Persian literary translations are given, and different kinds of equivalences, as well as the problems that arise in finding these equivalences, are discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of Processing Compound Verbs in Persian: A Psycholinguistic Approach to Complex Predicates

Processing Compound Verbs in Persian is the first monograph investigating how Persian compound ve... more Processing Compound Verbs in Persian is the first monograph investigating how Persian compound verbs are processed in the mental lexicon, through which it can be inferred how they are stored, organized, and accessed. The study examines Persian compound verbs in light of psycholinguistic theories on poly-morphemic word processing as well as linguistic theories of complex predicates.9789400601758 (eissn)Wetensch. publicati

Research paper thumbnail of A cultural linguistic survey of nuances in translation

Research paper thumbnail of The Routledge Intermediate Persian Course: Farsi Shirin Ast, Book Two

Lesson 1: Which sport are you interested in? Lesson 2: What issues normally cause divorce? Lesson... more Lesson 1: Which sport are you interested in? Lesson 2: What issues normally cause divorce? Lesson 3: What do you know about Iran's ancient sites? Lesson 4: What are the advantages and disadvantages to life in the capital? Lesson 5: Which do you prefer poetry or prose? Lesson 6: What are the pros and cons of travelling by train? Lesson 7: What do you do to protect the environment? Lesson 8: What do commercial centres look like in your country? Lesson 9 How many of Iran's provinces do you know? Lesson 10: What is mourning? Lesson 11: Who is your favourite poet? Lesson 12: What are the main characteristics of people's clothing in your country? Lesson 13: What day of the year is New Year's Day in Iran? Lesson 14: Can natural disasters be prevented? Lesson 15: What do you know about Islam? Persian-English Glossary English-Persian Glossary Index of grammatical terms

Research paper thumbnail of Hafez in Love

Research paper thumbnail of The Routledge Advanced Persian Course

The Routledge Advanced Persian Course, 2019

The Routledge Advanced Persian Course: Farsi Shirin Ast 3 aims to help students of higher-level p... more The Routledge Advanced Persian Course: Farsi Shirin Ast 3 aims to help students of higher-level proficiency continue elevating their proficiency level to achieve near-native level. Key features include: Authentic texts on a variety of topics related to Iran’s history, geography, arts, literature, culture, religions, society, and people. Each lesson includes a prominent poet and their most representative poem familiarizing students with the Persian literary canon, while indirectly learning the higher order registers used in the language of poetry. Lessons end with a Persian proverb and the story behind it, so that students will not only master the language but also the culture of the language and reach a near-native level of linguistic and cultural proficiency. The proverbs and some of the classical poetry are written in the calligraphy form to make students get used to reading handwritten texts resembling calligraphy. Audio files are provided so that learners who are studying on their own can have access to correct pronunciations. This textbook continues the series from The Routledge Intermediate Course in Persian and is ideal for Advanced or B2-C1 level students of Persian.

Research paper thumbnail of Heritage Learners’ versus Second Language Learners’ Source of Errors in Advanced-Level Writing: Case of a Persian Media Course

Iranian Studies, 2018

This paper examines the acquisition particularities of advanced-level students. It also investiga... more This paper examines the acquisition particularities of advanced-level students. It also investigates the use of content-based-in this case media material-in teaching advanced-level students, as well as the impact of teaching such material on the students' writing ability and overall proficiency. Finally, the subtle differences between heritage learners and second language learners are analyzed and discussed. Therefore, this research encompasses both a quantitative and a qualitative study of the issue at stake to ensure reliability of the findings. The results of the study suggest that there is no significant difference between the number of errors made by heritage learners and second language learners; however, the sources of these errors are often different. These sources of error and their possible reasons are discussed in this paper.

Research paper thumbnail of The Oxford Handbook of Persian Linguistics

Oxford Handbooks Online, 2018

The Oxford Handbook of Persian Linguistics is a comprehensive volume that offers a detailed overv... more The Oxford Handbook of Persian Linguistics is a comprehensive volume that offers a detailed overview of the field of Persian linguistics, discusses its development, and captures critical accounts of the cutting edge research within the major subfields of Persian linguistics. The handbook also discusses current debates and suggests productive lines of future research. Chapters are authored by internationally renowned leading scholars in the major subfields. The outline of the book is as follows: Chapter 1 is the introduction; Chapter 2 discusses the linguistic change from the Old to the New Persian; Chapter 3 is a discussion on the typological approaches and dialects; Chapter 4 focuses on phonetics, Chapter 5 on phonology, and Chapter 6 on the prosody. Chapter 7 focuses on generative approaches to Persian syntax, while Chapter 8 discusses other approaches to Persian syntax. Chapter 9 focuses on specific features of Persian syntax. Chapter 10 is on morphology, Chapter 11 on lexicograp...

Research paper thumbnail of The Routledge Intermediate Persian Course

The Routledge Intermediate Persian Course, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of What the Persian Media Says

What the Persian Media Says, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Teaching Persian to Speakers of Other Languages

Oxford Handbooks Online

Teaching and learning Persian as an additional language is facing unprecedented demand inside and... more Teaching and learning Persian as an additional language is facing unprecedented demand inside and outside the Persian-speaking counties. This chapter discusses teaching Persian to speakers of other languages from a variety of perspectives. It provides a short account on the history of teaching Persian in non-Persian-speaking countries and discusses the current status of teaching Persian to speakers of other languages both in the east and the west. The chapter also discusses second-language acquisition studies on Persian as well as the recent trends on pedagogy and assessment. It also investigates the development of the Persian instructional material and discusses the available Persian textbooks. Lastly, the current issues and challenges of teaching Persian to speakers of other languages is discussed and explored.

Research paper thumbnail of Processing Compound Verbs in Persian

CHAPTER 2 COMPLEX AND COMPOUND WORD PROCESSING …………….11 2.1 Hypotheses of complex and compound wo... more CHAPTER 2 COMPLEX AND COMPOUND WORD PROCESSING …………….11 2.1 Hypotheses of complex and compound word processing ……….……………………12 2.2 Morphologically complex noun processing ……………………………………..……15 2.2.1 The effect of Stimulus Onset Asynchrony (SOA) on polymorphemic word processing ………….……...……………………………………………………...19 2.2.2 Compound noun processing …………………………………………...……22 2.3 Processing morphologically complex verbs …………………………………….…….24 2.4 Processing of complex and compound words by aphasic patients ……..……….…….29 2.4.1 The distinction between noun and verb processing ……………...…………34 2.4.2 Noun/verb prominence in Aphasic patients ………………………….…..…35 2.4.3 Aphasic studies on Persian ……………………………………………….....39 2.5 Linguistic and non-linguistic effects on the processing of morphologically complex words ………………………………………..……………………………………………43 2.5.1 Influence of linearity on priming effect …………………………….………43 2.5.2 Influence of Simultaneous Onset Asynchrony (SOA) on priming effect .….46 III 2.5.3 Influence of frequency on priming effect ……………………………...……48

Research paper thumbnail of Heritage Learners’ versus Second Language Learners’ Source of Errors in Advanced-Level Writing: Case of a Persian Media Course

International Journal of Iranian Studies, 2018

This paper examines the acquisition particularities of advanced-level students. It also investiga... more This paper examines the acquisition particularities of advanced-level students. It also investigates the use of content-based—in this case media material—in teaching advanced-level students, as well as the impact of teaching such material on the students’ writing ability and overall proficiency. Finally, the subtle differences between heritage learners and second language learners are analyzed and discussed. Therefore, this research encompasses both a quantitative and a qualitative study of the issue at stake to ensure reliability of the findings. The results of the study suggest that there is no significant difference between the number of errors made by heritage learners and second language learners; however, the sources of these errors are often different. These sources of error and their possible reasons are discussed in this paper.

Research paper thumbnail of Processing Compound Verbs in Second Language Speakers of Persian, Iranian Studies. Taylor and Francis, 41(1): 137-158.

This study investigates compound verb processing in second language speakers (L2) of Persian. For... more This study investigates compound verb processing in second language speakers (L2) of Persian. Forty-six near-native L2 speakers of Persian were tested to examine the processing of transparent (non-idiomatic) and opaque (idiomatic) compound verbs, under masked priming paradigm. The results revealed a significant nominal priming effect in the opaque condition, and a numerically stronger nominal priming effect in the transparent condition. There was also an increase in the processing load on the parser when the target was an opaque compound. The results of this study seem to be compatible with the dual access or dual route hypothesis, yet with the version that assumes the two routes are activated in parallel rather than the version that assumes high frequency words are represented lexically but low frequency words are decomposed.

Research paper thumbnail of • Morphological Priming of Multi-morphemic Persian Words in Mental Lexicon. The 2nd Workshop on Persian Language and Computer. Tehran University. 29-38. (with Peiman Nojoumian and Atosa Tangestanifar)

Research paper thumbnail of • Persian Language Pedagogy: From Theory to Practice. Organizer and Discussant. MESA. Montreal, Virtual conference. (Dec 1, 2021)

Research paper thumbnail of • “A Linguistic Approach to Translation”, Paper presented in the panel, Persian Literature in Translation: Historical, Linguistic and Socio-cultural Dimensions. Presenter and Chair. MESA. Montreal, Virtual conference. (Dec 2, 2021)

Research paper thumbnail of Second Language Acquisition and Pedagogy of Persian. Invited speaker at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. University of Cambridge. UK. (Dec 12, 2019)

Research paper thumbnail of Peer Correction and Learner Metacognitive Awareness Raising in Teaching Persian as a Second/Heritage Language. Invited Speaker at the AATP Workshop at the University of Maryland and Georgetown University, US. (August 2019)

Research paper thumbnail of Second Language Learners of Persian. Invited speaker at the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations. University of Toronto. Canada. (Jan 10, 2019)

Research paper thumbnail of Using TELL in Second Language Teaching. The International Association for Iranian Studies Conference, University of Irvine, CA, US. (2018)

Research paper thumbnail of The Oxford Handbook of Persian Linguistics. The International Association for Iranian Studies Conference, University of Irvine, CA, US. (2018)

Research paper thumbnail of Translating from Persian into English through a Linguistic Lens. The International Association for Iranian Studies Conference, University of Irvine, CA, US. (2018)

Research paper thumbnail of Teaching and Acquisition of Idiomatic Expressions in L2: Case of Persian Idiomatic Complex Predicates. Second Language Acquisition Research Group, Department of Education, Concordia University. Montreal, Canada. (2018)

Research paper thumbnail of Using media in second language advanced courses. Invited speaker at the Arts Multimedia Language Facility, McGill University. Montreal, Canada. (2017)

Research paper thumbnail of Why Experimental Studies. Paper presented at the first North American Conference in Iranian Linguistics (NACIL1), Stony Brook University, NY, US. (2017)

Research paper thumbnail of Heritage Learners’ and Second Language Learners’ Source of Errors in Advanced Level Writing. Paper presented at the International Conference on Second Language Pedagogies (SLPC6), McGill University. Montreal, Canada. (2017)

Research paper thumbnail of The impact of using media texts in advanced Persian courses on the students’ writing ability. Keynote Speaker in the First National Conference on Investigating Teaching Persian to Speakers of Other Languages (TPSOL) Textbooks. Webinar at Shahid Beheshti University. Iran. (2016)

Research paper thumbnail of Persian Psycholinguistics. Panel Speaker at the International Society for Iranian studies Conference. Vienna, Austria. (2016)

Research paper thumbnail of The Oxford Handbook of Persian Linguistics. Panel Discussant at the International Society for Iranian studies Conference. Vienna, Austria. (2016)

Research paper thumbnail of Current State and Challenges of Persian Instruction in Canada. Roundtable Speaker at the International Society for Iranian studies Conference. Vienna, Austria. (2016)

Research paper thumbnail of Teaching advanced  Persian through media. In the panel: Defining Approaches, Curricula, and Assessment Tools for Advanced Persian Courses. Paper presentation at the 2015 Middle East Studies Association Conference. Denver, Colorado.

Research paper thumbnail of Challenges and decision-makings in writing Persian language textbooks. Paper presentation at the International Society for Iranian studies Conference. Montreal, Canada. (2014)

Writing a textbook for Persian language is a rather new trend in the field. There exist quite a n... more Writing a textbook for Persian language is a rather new trend in the field. There exist quite a number of invaluable works by the pioneers of the field. Nevertheless, like any other discipline, the writing of Persian language textbooks is a developing field, which needs to be visited and revisited. The purpose of this study is to give a background about available textbooks on the market and compare them with other second/foreign language textbooks written mostly for European languages, like English and French.
The main focus of the study is on three major domains: (1) the linguistic foundations on the basis of which these textbooks were written, (2) the applied linguistic theories on the basis of which the exercises were developed, and (3) the methodological concepts on the basis of which the tasks and activities were chosen. These discussions will be general, and not towards one single textbook.
Once the foundational issues are discussed, some general theoretical concepts on second/foreign language learning and teaching will be introduced. Some factors in this discussion include the contrastive analysis between the first and the second language and the effect of the first language on the second language. This will be illustrated with examples from the two languages as well as from the students’ errors.
This section will be followed by the tasks that the educators can use to bridge the theoretical agenda with the actual intended content and context. In this section, different language learning skills will be discussed, and various tasks that can be included to serve the purpose of bringing the theory into practice will be introduced.
Finally, different methodological hints will be introduced in order to help the educators take the role of the facilitators rather than lecturers in the class. This is especially important because we are mostly concerned with teaching Persian outside the Persian-speaking countries, and the only chance that students have to practice the target language is in the classroom setting. For this reason, it is imperative to choose tasks and activities that are conducive to the target language use by the students. In addition, the contents of the contexts are extremely important and can be geared towards subject-matter contents, such as politics, media, literature, art, history, etc.
Persian language pedagogy studies are a new discipline, and any textbook or research in this field will benefit Persian language educators as well as Persian language learners.

Research paper thumbnail of Teaching Persian Language: An Applied Linguistic Approach. Panel Convener at the International Society for Iranian studies Conference. Montreal, Canada. (2014)

This panel aims at investigating different aspects of teaching the Persian language; namely: meth... more This panel aims at investigating different aspects of teaching the Persian language; namely: methodology, material-development, and assessment. There will be three presentations in this panel.
The first presentation investigates main principles of the communicative Task-based Language Teaching approach. It is, in fact, a proficiency-based learning system that can address the kind of interaction and critical thinking skills needed in effective language communication and promotes learning of language and culture by doing. It will be argued that TBLT is an efficient methodology, specifically for developing instructional materials for the Persian language and culture.
The second presentation will be on the challenges of writing a Persian language textbook. The discussion will focus on three major domains: (1) the linguistic foundations on the basis of which these textbooks were written, (2) the applied linguistic theories on the basis of which the exercises were developed, and (3) the methodological concepts on the basis of which the tasks and activities were chosen.
In the end, different methodological hints will be introduced in order to help the educators take the role of the facilitators rather than lecturers in the class.
The third presentation will be on integrating Language Skills in Testing Persian Language. As communicative language teaching is based upon integrating different language skills, in turn, the skills of Persian language should be tested in an integrated fashion rather than testing each skill individually. This approach not only encourages language learners to perform communicatively but also enables a tester to evaluate two or more integrated language skills. To this end, examples will be given to demonstrate how different skills can be evaluated in an integrated approach of Persian testing. This is similar to producing language skills in real life instead of being evaluated in an isolated manner.
In sum, the aim of this panel is to examine the most recent approaches to language teaching and learning, material development, and language testing in the developing field of Persian language teaching.

Research paper thumbnail of Compound Verb Processing in L2, 2013 Psychoshorts. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, (2013)