The Azerbaijanis, not the Azeris, are hosting COP29
FDD article by Brenda Shaffer
POLITICS 02 May 2024 - 10:32
Foundation for Defense of Democracies, the Washington-based think tank, has published an article by renowned expert Brenda Shaffer, a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School in the US and a member of the American Political Science Association, discussing the widespread misnomer of referring to the people of Azerbaijan as "Azeris" and their language as "Azeri". Caliber.Az reprints the piece.
The Republic of Azerbaijan will host the annual UN Climate Change Conference known as COP29 in November 2024. For many who will attend COP29 and follow the process, this will be their first real encounter with Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani nation numbers 40 million—only 10 million of them live in the Republic of Azerbaijan while approximately 28 million reside in neighboring Iran. Azerbaijani is a Turkic language, very close to the languages spoken in Türkiye and Turkmenistan. In this language, the term “Azeri” is never used to identify those who speak the titular language of Azerbaijan or the people who live in the country. Despite this, many English-language commentators and media outlets still erroneously refer to the people of Azerbaijan as “Azeris” and their language as “Azeri.”
What is the source of this widespread misnomer? At first glance, it could be because the term Azerbaijani is five syllables long, and so “Azeri” is used as a shorthand. Yet, no media outlet calls the U.S. state of California “Calif.” Micronesia is also called by its full name. And don’t forget Papua New Guinea, recently mentioned by President Biden, and those countries combined from multiple regions like Bosnia and Herzegovina and Antigua and Barbuda. Other nations and languages have five syllable names, such as Indonesian and Macedonian, and the media doesn’t shorten them.
One source of the inaccuracy can be that many of the main computer programs in common usage around the world refer to the “Azeris” and the “Azeri” language. For instance, Apple products list “Azeri” as an optional language. On the other hand, Google has a language and translation option that uses the term “Azerbaijani.” Microsoft is a mixed bag: it correctly gives an option to use Office in “Azerbaijani,” but its keyboard options in the same program use “Azeri.”
What then, could be another reason for this preference to misname the people inhabiting Azerbaijan and the language they all speak? Part of the answer may lie in its legacy of being subjected to imperial colonialization. Split between the Russian and Iranian empires for many centuries, the Russians and Persians used misnomers over the years to refer to the Azerbaijanis. Russian sources often referred to the group as “Tatars,” and English language sources up until the twentieth century reflected this Russian terminology as well. Many Farsi sources still refer to the Azerbaijanis as “Azeris” and their language as “Azeri.” Such and similar sources often claim that they are not “real” Turks, but actually originate from a Persian tribe (the Azeris) and that they have been Turkified in both identity and language by successive Turkic empires that ruled Iran.
Not very plausible, especially since many of the Azerbaijanis in Iran are mountain dwellers, and it seems quite unlikely that these empires reached these groups and changed their native language. Effectually all Azerbaijani intellectuals, including those living in Iran, find the term “Azeri” derogatory, since they view at as part of the attempt of Persian nationalists to deny their separate identity. Despite the fact that the Azerbaijanis comprise up to one third of the population in Iran, Tehran neither allows the group’s members to use their own language in official settings nor to educate their children in their mother tongue.
As COP29 comes around, politicians, journalists, analysts, and activists alike should make a concerted effort to refer correctly to the people and language of Azerbaijan as do the people who live there: “Azerbaijanis” and “Azerbaijani,” respectively. As one prominent Azerbaijani linguist has written, “prevailing public and scholarly opinion in contemporary Azerbaijan does not support the use of the term “Azeri.” At the end of the day, that should be reason enough: much as the English-speaking world has gotten used to writing the capital of Ukraine as “Kyiv,” accepted that Bombay is now called “Mumbai”, stopped calling the Inuit people “Eskimos,” and Türkiye” is increasingly replacing the way we refer to the country whose capital used to be called Constantinople. There is simply no good reason for English-language users not to use the preferred word—Azerbaijani.
Caliber.Az
1
|
UN admits error: Gaza death toll overestimated, women and children nearly 50% fewer Israeli FM urges Guterres to resign
14 May 2024 - 09:34
|
2
|
Paris' conundrum: Pashinyan over Karabakh clan Assessing France's position on Baku-Yerevan talks
14 May 2024 - 10:40
|
3
|
All eyes on November 2024: Baku, Yerevan on verge of historic peace deal Nations poised to reconcile without mediators
15 May 2024 - 10:33
|
4
|
Ethnic minorities in Iran struggle against exploitation amid resource wealth Ethnic minority marginalization
14 May 2024 - 17:59
|
5
|
Latvia, Azerbaijan forge closer economic ties Exploring investment opportunities
14 May 2024 - 17:36
|
Germany’s government barely holding together
17 May 2024 - 05:09
US tariffs on Chinese green tech spur trade tensions
Opinion by Financial Times17 May 2024 - 03:05
The Economist: Xi-Putin partnership is not a marriage of convenience
17 May 2024 - 01:03
Foreign Affairs: Taiwan is the new Berlin
16 May 2024 - 23:01
Georgia supports border delimitation process between Armenia & Azerbaijan
16 May 2024 - 20:47
Armenian archbishop calls for urgent ousting of government over ‘criminal path’
16 May 2024 - 20:38
Erdogan: Azerbaijan-Armenia peace deal represents historic opportunity
16 May 2024 - 20:29
Robert Fico's condition deemed grave, president-elect briefly visits amid health concerns
16 May 2024 - 20:19
Russia hails any peace initiatives for Ukraine - Kremlin spokesman
16 May 2024 - 20:01
EBRD, USAID forge partnership to boost Trans-Caspian transport route development
16 May 2024 - 19:41
Israel increases its military contingent in Rafah
16 May 2024 - 19:23
South Africa airs plans to open diplomatic mission in Azerbaijan
16 May 2024 - 19:10
Azerbaijan: A beacon of religious tolerance
The Washington Times article16 May 2024 - 18:58
Azerbaijani embassy in Latvia marks Independence Day & diplomatic relations
16 May 2024 - 18:54
Netherlands scuttles Russia’s participation in UNESCO International Conference
16 May 2024 - 18:46
US interior department staffer is first Jewish Biden appointee to resign over war in Gaza
16 May 2024 - 18:33
Microsoft offers relocation to hundreds of China-based AI staff amid US-China tech tensions
16 May 2024 - 18:20
Speaker of Latvian Saeima to visit Azerbaijan
16 May 2024 - 18:07
Slovak MFA expresses appreciation to Ilham Aliyev for demonstrating support
16 May 2024 - 17:55
Bucharest chosen as base for joint power company of four nations
16 May 2024 - 17:42
France's coercive colonial policies in New Caledonia
Hypocrisy, repression, struggle for self-determination16 May 2024 - 17:29
Political unrest in Armenia & Georgia amid Azerbaijan's rebuilding efforts in Karabakh
South Caucasus in flux16 May 2024 - 17:18
Assassination attempt on Slovak PM as a harbinger of tension in Europe
Proponents of peace under fire16 May 2024 - 17:06
Azerbaijan, China explore solar energy cooperation in liberated areas
16 May 2024 - 16:55
Azerbaijani, Armenian Parliament Speakers meet in Geneva
16 May 2024 - 16:54
Rheinmetall to open air defence manufacturing plant in Ukraine
16 May 2024 - 16:42
Georgian PM off to Türkiye for high-level meetings
16 May 2024 - 16:30
Understanding Xi Jinping's visit to Paris
Implications for China-EU relations/VIDEO16 May 2024 - 16:20
Russia, China issue joint demand for US to halt military-biological activities
16 May 2024 - 16:18
Paving roads to future: Aghdam's renaissance in motion
VIDEO16 May 2024 - 16:06
COP29 holds great importance in informing sectors about their climate change commitments
UN Resident Coordinator says16 May 2024 - 15:53
Azerbaijan, Belarus ink range of diverse agreements
PHOTO16 May 2024 - 15:52
ICRC personnel visit Karabakh separatists in Baku pre-trial detention centre
16 May 2024 - 15:43
Azerbaijani, Belarusian presidents affirm strong bilateral ties in expanded meeting
16 May 2024 - 15:43
Azerbaijan's COP hosting garners pride from Turkish committee chair
16 May 2024 - 15:31
Azerbaijan focuses on climate action and energy transition ahead of COP29
Climate change champion's interview with Business Green16 May 2024 - 15:13
Armenian PM replaces troops on border with Azerbaijan with border guards
16 May 2024 - 15:13
Iran summons Australian charge d’affaires over "illegal sanctions"
16 May 2024 - 14:54
Georgia accuses EU FMs of aiding government overthrow attempt
16 May 2024 - 14:37
Azerbaijani artillery units enhance shooting proficiency through tactical exercises
VIDEO16 May 2024 - 14:29