Ajam

Ajam (ʿajam) is an Arabic word meaning mute. It generally refers to someone whose mother tongue is not Arabic, as well as non-Arabs. During the Arab conquest of Persia, the term became a racial pejorative. In many languages, including Persian, Turkish, Urdu–Hindi, Azerbaijani, Bengali, Kurdish, Gujarati, Malay, Punjabi, and Swahili, Ajam and Ajami refer to Iran and Iranians respectively. According to traditional etymology, the word Ajam comes from the Semitic root ʿ-j-m. Related forms of the same root include, but are not limited to: mustaʿjim: mute, incapable of speech ʿajama / ʾaʿjama / ʿajjama: to dot – in particular, to add the dots that distinguish between various Arabic letters to a text (and hence make it easier for a non-native Arabic speaker to read). It is now an obsolete term, since all modern Arabic texts are dotted. This may also be linked to ʿajām / ʿajam "pit, seed (e.g. of a date or grape)". inʿajama: (of speech) to be incomprehensible istaʿjama: to fall silent; to be unable to speak 'aʿjam: non-fluent Homophonous words, which may or may not be derived from the same root, include: ʿajama: to test (a person); to try (a food). Modern use of "ajam" has the meaning of "non-Arab". Its development from meaning "mute" to meaning "non-Arabic-speaking" is somewhat analogous to that of the word barbarian (< Greek βαρβαρόφωνος barbarophonos). The verb ʿajama originally meant "to mumble, and speak indistinctly", which is the opposite of ʿaraba, "to speak clearly". Accordingly, the noun ʿujma, of the same root, is the opposite of fuṣḥa, which means "chaste, correct, Arabic language". In general, during the Umayyad period ajam was a pejorative term used by Arabs who believed in their social and political superiority, in early history after Islam. However, the distinction between Arab and Ajam is discernible in pre-Islamic poetry. According to the book ‘Documents on the Persian Gulf's name’ the Arabs likewise referred to Iran and the Persian (Sassanian) Empire as (بلاد فارس), which means "Lands of Persia", and using (بلاد عجم) as an equivalent or synonym to Persia.