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  2. Turkish to English

pesmerge

English translation: peshmerge

20:10 Mar 23, 2003
Turkish to English translations [Non-PRO]
Turkish term or phrase: pesmerge
I saw this in a Turkish newspaper.
asena (X)
English translation:peshmerge
Explanation:
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/ops/docs/lsn7app1.htm

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Note added at 2003-03-23 20:19:22 (GMT)
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daha önce sorulmuştu galiba
Selected response from:

murat Karahan
Türkiye
Local time: 09:33
Grading comment
Graded automatically based on peer agreement. KudoZ.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +6peshmerge
murat Karahan
5literal meaning: those who have death in front of them
Emine Fougner
5 -2Kurdish warriors
Update (X)


  

Answers


7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +6
peshmerge


Explanation:
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/ops/docs/lsn7app1.htm

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-03-23 20:19:22 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

daha önce sorulmuştu galiba


murat Karahan
Türkiye
Local time: 09:33
Native speaker of: Turkish
PRO pts in pair: 65
Grading comment
Graded automatically based on peer agreement. KudoZ.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  shenay kharatekin: possible
19 mins
agree  Özden Arıkan: possible? öyle zaten.ama bir yazımı da "peshmerga" www.humanrights.de/~kurdweb/keo/english/ humright/kgenocide/anfalas/anf4.html
34 mins
  -> pesh mutga diye yazan bile var.
agree  turengfr
16 hrs
  -> teşekkür ederim..
agree  Update (X): biji zapatista :)
16 hrs
  -> buji sayanora :))
agree  Nilgün Bayram (X)
3 days 4 hrs
  -> teşekkürler
agree  Aydin Eren: this is the current term
6 days
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14 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): -2
Kurdish warriors


Explanation:
Peshmerge

Bu bir cevap degildir sadece açıklama amacıyla verilmiştir.




    Reference: http://www.international-community.de/ic0401/int.htm
Update (X)

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Özden Arıkan: kurdish warriors genel bir başlık ama; bu sadece bir grubun adı
5 mins
  -> iyi de dil çifti yanlış zaten, peşmerge kürtçe savaşçı demek :)
disagree  turengfr: gerilla sorulsaydı, "iyi de dil çifti yanlış zaten, gerilla ispanyolca savaşçı demek" mi yazacaktık ? :)
1 hr
  -> zaten yukarıda yazdığımı kopyaladım, sade gerillayla ispanyolcayı değiştirirdim olur biterdi
neutral  shenay kharatekin: concerned kurdish
2 days 11 hrs
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71 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
literal meaning: those who have death in front of them


Explanation:
Ok, this will be long, and you'll get an earful. But I hate the incorrect or missing information. Here it goes:

Chalk one up for the Gray Lady, more or less. Pesh means to stand in front of; merga literally means "death." The most accurate translation of the word, then, is "those who have death in front of them," though the NY Times version is close in both spirit and meaning. New York Times defines peshmerga as "those who face death." The Washington Post, however, goes with the grimmer "those who seek death." Which paper speaks more fluent Kurdish-I haven't a clue.

Students of Middle Eastern linguistics will note that peshmerga's constituent words are of Persian origin. This is no coincidence, as the word was added to the Kurdish lexicon during the brief heyday of the Mahabad Republic. The only fully independent Kurdish homeland in modern history, the republic was established in northwestern Iran in January 1946, with the tacit approval of the Soviet Union. According to Kurdish lore, the young nation's leaders met to codify the group's language, as a precursor to setting up educational institutions. The story goes that the amateur linguists couldn't come up with a suitable word for "soldier" and adjourned to a local cafe. When a waiter inquired as to why the table looked so glum, they described their vocabulary woes. The waiter then suggested peshmerga, a slang term from his nearby village.

The veracity of this tale is hard to check, as there is relatively little historical information available regarding the Mahabad Republic. The nation lasted only 11 months, until it was overrun by Iranian troops. The Soviets, thought to be friends of the Kurdish regime, offered no military assistance.

Since then, peshmerga has come to mean "freedom fighter" and is often used as an honorific for Kurdish guerrilla fighters. In addition, the uniforms these soldiers wear are also referred to as peshmerga.







Emine Fougner
Local time: 23:33
Native speaker of: Native in TurkishTurkish, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 36
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