# A person from Afhganistan is an Afghani... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 21, 2004, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-person-from-afhganistan-is-an-afghani/270406 "2004-10-21T14:15:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-person-from-afhganistan-is-an-afghani/270406/1 "2004-10-21T14:15:30Z")
Not an Afghan. That’s a blanket. Every time I see the headline “Afghans take to hills” I have a mental image of a bunch of blankets fluffing up and shuffling off to the hills. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-person-from-afhganistan-is-an-afghani/270406/2 "2004-10-21T14:24:07Z")
Me too. I think that makes me a bad person. It was especially bad during the invasion, when the news said things like, “Carpet-bombed Afghans flee”. ---
**Author:** ![Tupug\_Anachi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@Tupug\_Anachi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tupug_Anachi)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-person-from-afhganistan-is-an-afghani/270406/3 "2004-10-21T14:28:43Z")
Well, I see big hairy dogs. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-person-from-afhganistan-is-an-afghani/270406/4 "2004-10-21T14:30:56Z")
You are both wrong. Afghani is the currency, not the people. Nationality: noun: Afghan(s) adjective: Afghan [Cite: CIA World Factbook](http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/af.html#People) ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-person-from-afhganistan-is-an-afghani/270406/5 "2004-10-21T14:33:54Z")
I don’t honestly care about the CIA World Fact thing, people from Afghanistan call themselves Afghani. It’s great that as usual a foreign power has arbitrarily renamed them. But the language, when spoken, calls the people Afghani. ---
**Author:** ![Gest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9d8465/32.png) [@Gest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gest)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-person-from-afhganistan-is-an-afghani/270406/6 "2004-10-21T15:01:23Z")
A lot of the CIA factbook stuff is pretty iffy. I’m often wary when it’s used as a cite for anything but the most uncontroversial details. Robert Pelton Young claims the term also refers to foreign Muslim veterans of the war with the Soviets. Hence, Filipino Afghans, Saudi Afghans, Egyptian Afghans &c. It’s a long fought old argument though. Should we start calling Germans Deutsche and Japanese nihon-jin as they call themselves in _their_ spoken languages? ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-person-from-afhganistan-is-an-afghani/270406/7 "2004-10-21T15:16:13Z")
We moved to Tampa last week. I’m afraid to find what that might make me. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-person-from-afhganistan-is-an-afghani/270406/8 "2004-10-21T15:17:41Z")
Did you bother consulting a dictionary? Main Entry: Af·ghan Pronunciation: 'af-"gan also -g&n Function: noun Etymology: Persian afghAn Pashtun **1 a (1) : PASHTUN (2) : PASHTO b : a native or inhabitant of Afghanistan** 2 not capitalized : a blanket or shawl of colored wool knitted or crocheted in strips or squares 3 not capitalized : a Turkoman carpet of large size and long pile woven in geometric designs 4 : AFGHAN HOUND Afghan adjective [http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=afghan&x=20&y=18](http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=afghan&x=20&y=18) Unless you’re referring to Pashto, in which case you’re correct. “Afghan” referring to an inhabitant is entirely proper in English. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-person-from-afhganistan-is-an-afghani/270406/9 "2004-10-21T15:28:43Z")
I always think of the dogs, too. I get endless amusement by picturing those prissy long-haired dogs running around the hills with rifles. But I’m just weird. And Shib you are indeed a Tampan. Beware of typos. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-person-from-afhganistan-is-an-afghani/270406/10 "2004-10-21T15:39:41Z")
> [@Wile E](#): > > And Shib you are indeed a Tampan. Beware of typos. Thanks, that explains the string. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-person-from-afhganistan-is-an-afghani/270406/11 "2004-10-21T15:46:20Z")
> [@Gest](#): > > A lot of the CIA factbook stuff is pretty iffy. I’m often wary when it’s used as a cite for anything but the most uncontroversial details. > > Robert Pelton Young claims the term also refers to foreign Muslim veterans of the war with the Soviets. Hence, Filipino Afghans, Saudi Afghans, Egyptian Afghans &c. > > It’s a long fought old argument though. Should we start calling Germans Deutsche and Japanese nihon-jin as they call themselves in _their_ spoken languages? Nonono the only reason I am even concerned is because “Germans” can’t be mistaken for anything else. Afghan can. And again, the dictionary may say Afghan but I’m E Indian so I’m continuing to say Afghani, with the right pronunciation even. 😉