Language ideologies and attitudes towards Arabic in contemporary Iran

International audienceThis paper discusses the animosity against Arabic elements of Persian in present-day Iran, and argues that this phenomenon can be seen as a continuation of the modern anti-Arabism that appeared in Iran in the 19th century as a direct result of the domination of European culture, rooted in European racial thought and linguistic beliefs and ideologies. The paper first outlines the historical background of anti-Arabism in Iran. It next provides a discussion on the controversy around the rise of the Persian language, while also highlighting the significance of this language as an essential dimension of Iranian identity and its role in the historical narrative of national identity in Iran. The paper finally addresses language-related anti-Arabism and focuses on the hostility observed in scientific scholarship, supposedly justified on linguistic grounds, against the Arabic influence on Persian; in particular, the claim that the latter has led to the deficiency of the verb formation apparatus in Persian