# All IIR Languages:  rape



## marrish

Dear all of the moment,

I've been hesitating for a long time, approximately for two years, to ask this question as due to international press reports of rape cases in India it made me think how it is addressed in the target languages and I wished to avoid being the one who brings this topic to attention on this forum. 

Since I had have a long period of consideration I came to the conclusion, prompted by an Urdu article published in an Indian newspaper yesterday about a case of something which is not clear to me, and I think it's better to avoid the contents but I can share it with anyone on request however, in summary, which is necessary to proceed further with language matters it's a case of a teacher having committed the act of [Urdu] بدفعلی where the victim was a male student of a high school.

After this introduction, I would humbly request all those who are willing to participate to share their views and opinions about words that describe or define the act of rape.

This Urdu word which I mentioned reads _bad-fi3lii _بدفعلی'. Somewhere in the news in Hindi I found _duShkarm_ दुष्कर्म being used which corresponds semantically as well as per word-forming with the Urdu word but I am not sure what is the exact meaning of it. 

The obvious word for a rape in Hindi which I am familiar with is बलात्कार _balaatkaar_ and I saw this word on some banners (on photographs) when scores of people were holding demonstrations but the most popular in my limited view is रेप 'rep'.

I haven't included Sanskrit but since it is the source of many words in Hindi, it can be revealing to discover whether any word or expression was used in that language.

Now when I come back to Urdu, the technical (actually not technical but juridical) term for a rape is زنا بالجبر _zinaa bi-l-jabr_ which can be translated to 'fornication by force'.

I am ignorant of its usage in the popular parlance nor from the media so I think _bad-fa3ilii_ is used perhaps instead.

Both _bad-fa3ilii_ and _duShkarm_ appear to be euphemisms.

As for Persian I am totally unaware of the usage so venturing into dictionaries where different definitions or equivalents are bound to exist seems a risky endeavour. The request for the Persian usage is motivated by my desire to compare it with Urdu.


No bad feelings please but it happens and things should be named first in order to fight them.


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## Treaty

In Persian تجاوز (جنسی)ـ _tajāvoz_ (_e jensi_) is usually used for "rape". I think the main legal terms are تجاوز به عنف (_tajāvoz be anf_) and زنای به عنف (_zenā-ye be anf_) though these terms are only used for extramarital rape. I'm not sure of legal terminology or recognition for marital rape. Also, there is لواط به عنف _levāt be anf_ to indicate (male) homosexual rape.


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## marrish

Thank you, even if you said you were not sure you provided a range of different terms. I am unaware of the term for marital rape but it can be "izdiwaajii" and then what, zinaa doesn't apply. izdiwaajii jinsii tajaawuz or tashaddud perhaps.

Thank you for the wide coverage. If you were so kind as to shed light on the meaning of عنف ?


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## Cilquiestsuens

marrish said:


> Thank you, even if you said you were not sure you provided a range of different terms. I am unaware of the term for marital rape but it can be "izdiwaajii" and then what, zinaa doesn't apply. izdiwaajii jinsii tajaawuz or tashaddud perhaps.
> 
> Thank you for the wide coverage. If you were so kind as to shed light on the meaning of عنف ?



عنف looks like the Arabic word _*3unf*_ meaning violence.


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## Treaty

marrish said:


> Thank you, even if you said you were not sure you provided a range of different terms. I am unaware of the term for marital rape but it can be "izdiwaajii" and then what, zinaa doesn't apply. izdiwaajii jinsii tajaawuz or tashaddud perhaps.



In Persian it is usually rendered as تجاوز زناشویی and تجاوز به همسر but because of lack of specific regulation in this case, I think there is no official term for it in Persian.



Cilquiestsuens said:


> عنف looks like the Arabic word _*3unf*_ meaning violence.



My bad. I've also remembered its pronunciation as _3unf_ (_onf_ in Persian) but just to be sure I checked Loghatnameh and found it as _anf _there. Probably it is a mistake in the Persian dictionary.


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## Jervoltage

Treaty said:


> [...]My bad. I've also remembered its pronunciation as _3unf_ (_onf_ in Persian) but just to be sure I checked Loghatnameh and found it as _anf _there. Probably it is a mistake in the Persian dictionary.



As indicated in Loghatnaame-ye Dehkhodaa, the standard pronunciation is _'onf_. The alternative pronunciations (i.e. _'anf_, _'enf_) are used if called for by _vazn_ in verse, etc. You may have looked up the wrong عنف.


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## Treaty

Jervoltage said:


> As indicated in Loghatnaame-ye Dehkhodaa, the standard pronunciation is _'onf_. The alternative pronunciations (i.e. _'anf_, _'enf_) are used if called for by _vazn_ in verse, etc. You may have looked up the wrong عنف.



I found there are two entries for عنف in Loghatnameh (this with only _anf_, and this with all three pronunciations). In my previous posts I only looked the first one which appeared atop my search results for عنف.


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## Jervoltage

Treaty said:


> I found there are two entries for عنف in Loghatnameh (this with only _anf_, and this with all three pronunciations). In my previous posts I only looked the first one which appeared atop my search results for عنف.



I see. Anyway, the footnote I referred to seems to be lacking in the link you provided. Here it is: ١. در تداول فارسي ، معمولاً به ضم اول تلفظ ميشود


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## fdb

In Arabic ʻunf and ʻanf are both correct for ‘roughness, harshness, violence’.


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## littlepond

"balaatkaar" is the word most frequently used in Hindi.


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## Sheikh_14

For euphemistic representation azdawaajii zabardastii ought to be enough. Zabardastii karna is a common euphemism for the act. There is no need for the embarrassment its a perfectly understandable question. What are the literary idioms present for the act, it is simply not possible that they are none. Urdu literature like any other is equitably bold. Would 'unf be acceptable in Urdu do you think if so what pronunciation would you designate it for roughness etc? Balatkaar (is it not balatkaar instead of balaatkaar the initial a sound isn't lengthened at least not in common speak) is widely understood by Urdu speakers as well but not used in the media.


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## Cilquiestsuens

The literary register of Urdu has many words. Let me  quote two of them; still apparently used on sites as respectable as  the BBC Urdu:

1. عصمت دری  or _*3ismat-darii*_ (You can if you want, check this link.)  I have the feeling this word is more used in Indian Urdu. I don't think  it is much used in Pk. It is by the way a very precise / graphic word that can  barely be called a euphemism.

2. ٖآبرو ریزی  or *aabruu-rezii* (check this link). This word is more literary and is not only euphemistic as you can understand, but vague enough to potentially mean other things too.


Other expressions can be used to the same effect.


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## Cilquiestsuens

Sheikh_14 said:


> For euphemistic representation azdawaajii zabardastii .



It is not _**azdawaajii*_ but *izdiwaajii* (check it here if you doubt)

_*izdiwaajii tashaddud*_ isn't less precise and it sounds better. 

If you want to be even more precise, you can say: _*jinsii tashaddud*_ which makes much more sense than **izdiwaajii zabardastii*.


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## mundiya

In Hindi, besides zabardastii karnaa, another alternate or indirect way of saying it is izzat luuTnaa/chhiinnaa/lenaa.  I am hesitant to use the label euphemism because to me there are no mild phrases for this vicious and barbaric act.


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## Cilquiestsuens

Calling a word referring to something bad a euphemism (or in this case, an understatement) never made anyone condone it. Quite the opposite, all it says is that the word is not strong enough to describe that thing.

By the way, none of the expressions you suggested can be described as euphemisms.


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## mundiya

Yes, I know.  But I noticed a few people using the word euphemism for the examples they provided, so I was commenting on that.


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## eskandar

Cilquiestsuens said:


> 1. عصمت دری  or _*3ismat-darii*_ (You can if you want, check this link.)  I have the feeling this word is more used in Indian Urdu. I don't think  it is much used in Pk.


I can't speak for Pakistani Urdu as I'm not as familiar with its usage, but this is indeed the term I have seen most often in Indian Urdu newspapers and articles.


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## marrish

My problem that I am familiar with Urdu in general and don't make a difference between "Pakistani Urdu" and "Indian Urdu" - usually. In Pakistan the term 3ismat-darii is known and used for a rape but not frequently as far as I can say. It means more of 'a defloration'. Another term which has many connotations but the one of rape is understood without any mistake in certain situations is زیادتی '_ziyaadatii_'. Much more used than _3ismat-darii_. _aabruu rezii_ is of course there as well as the verb _3izzat luuTnaa_.


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## Horned Owl

In Hindi, _dushkarm_ is a word that the press might use; women usually say _galat kaam_.
e.g. _Usne mere saath galat kaam kiya_.


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## Sheikh_14

Is 'unf used at all in Urdu or would it at least be considered acceptable for rough treatment/violence, as a growing language with an expanding vocabulary?


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## James Bates

Treaty said:


> In Persian تجاوز (جنسی)ـ _tajāvoz_ (_e jensi_) is usually used for "rape". I think the main legal terms are تجاوز به عنف (_tajāvoz be anf_) and زنای به عنف (_zenā-ye be anf_) though these terms are only used for extramarital rape. I'm not sure of legal terminology or recognition for marital rape. Also, there is لواط به عنف _levāt be anf_ to indicate (male) homosexual rape.



Shouldn't it be لواطِ بہ عنف levaat-e be anf, just like zenaa-ye be anf? The same goes for tajaavoz-e be anf.


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