# Unknown language: nayr and mehram



## AnnoLuce

There is a strange old woman in the flat next door, she doesn't talk to anyone and I wondered if this is because she doesn't understand English. I know she isn't English speaking by birth but I don't know what language she speaks, the only thing I have to go on is that she has two cats called - I will transliterate into an aproxmated english pronunciation as I don't know the proper linguistic code - nayr (long softly rolled r) and meh-ram (short rolled r). 
My friend said it sounded like a Turkic language.

Thank you!


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## ameana7

Hello Annoluce,

Welcome to the forums.
"Nayr" can be "hayır" in Turkish which means "no", but the word "meh-ram" doesn't ring a bell. Also, calling a cat as "no" isn't very logical, I think.  If you have a chance to learn a few words more, we can determine the language better. 

Hope, it helps.


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## Grosvenor1

Farsi, or one of the languages of India? It does not sound like Turkish.


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## Spectre scolaire

nayr could be Arabic – more precisely [na:?ir], “shining, bright” ([:] denoting a long vowel and [?] a glottal stop) – but the word exists in number of other languages as a loanword. 

The other name mehram could be an Arabic form of haram, “illigitimate”. 

I suggest you ask the lady if one of her cats has a dubious provenance – or something like that...
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## panjabigator

Hmm, none of these ring any bells for me in Hindi or Panjabi.  Maybe if I heard them, I'd know better.


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