

Persian Language, also known as Farsi, is the most widely spoken member of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, a subfamily of the Indo-European languages. It is the language of Iran (formerly Persia) and is also widely spoken in Afghanistan and, in an archaic form, in Tajikistan and the Pamir Mountain region.
Persian is spoken today primarily in Iran and Afghanistan, but was historically a more widely understood language in an area ranging from the Middle East to India. Significant populations of speakers in other Persian Gulf countries (Bahrain, Iraq, Oman, People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates), as well as large communities in the USA.
Total numbers of speakers is high: over 40 million Farsi speakers (about 50% of Iran's population); over 7 million Dari Persian speakers in Afghanistan (25% of the population); and about 2 million Dari Persian speakers in Pakistan.
Contact Information:
Instructor: Amir Moosavi
Office: A110 (Adjunct Faculty Office)
Phone: 214-505-5999
E-mail:smoosavi@dcccd.edu & moosavi2@msn.com
Course Description (from Richland Catalog):
Farsi 1470 Beginning Persian (4) (No prerequisites) This course is an introductory course intended for students with little or no knowledge of the language. Its aim is to present essential vocabulary and grammar, and to develop the pronunciation, listening, reading, and writing skills necessary for basic communication and comprehension. Customs and cultural insights are also presented.
Farsi 1470 Course Objectives:
Upon completing Farsi 1470, students should demonstrate the ability to
• To pronounce Farsi correctly
• To begin to develop the ability to speak Farsi.
• To begin to develop the ability to understand spoken Farsi.
• To begin to develop the ability to read and write Farsi.
• To begin acquiring a working knowledge of Farsi grammatical structures and to apply these structures in speech and writing.
• To begin to develop functional Farsi vocabulary.
• To begin to develop an awareness of various aspects of Persian culture through reading and discussion.