Job Discussion Forums

[posh]

I saw 'put on a pedal stool' somewhere or other.

[veiledsentiments]

This is why I use Firefox... it catches most of the spelling burps. Not pedal stool though.

VS

[wantok]

It is unlikely that many "Developing Nation" non-native English speakers prowl through this website, no matter their English language proficiency.

Saudi Gazette enjoys considerable local circulation among residents representing those (as does the other daily, Arab News). (I hope that this thread does not now devolve into a journalistic compare-and-contrast tweetzone.)

Thus Dr Khalid Alseghayer, a self-confessed "academic", keeps "Audience" in mind in his editorial. Simple vocabulary, clear point-by-point articulation. Brilliant style and structure. That clipping could be easily used as a reading comp exercise in lessons or exams.

[cmp45]

[wantok]

The great god Autocorrect has struck again. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/05/opinion/sunday/auto-correct-this.html?_r=2&hp

Spellcheck isn't making us dumber...this reliance can be beneficial and could even better the human race � but only if we are wise about it. http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/spellcheck-isnt-making-us-dumber--and-other-secrets-of-the-digital-age-20120824-24rtg.html

Having made those two contributions, let us now return to the topic of this thread.

[johnslat]

Dear VS and scot47,

Having done a little research - rather than relying upon my personal experience - I believe I owe scot47 an apology:

"Khawaja is the term Sudanese use to refer to foreigners, especially white people (I've seen some people look at Japanese aid workers with a very puzzled look). It is the 'Arabic' equivalent of Swahili's Mzungu. Throughout my time spent here I have tried to figure out the origins or even the root meaning of the term but have always ended up with conflicting, nonsensical or just obviously made up answers. That is until recently when I spoke to my favourite Islamic History Scholar and writer of the forthcoming paper, "The Rise of Early Sufism: A Survey of Recent Scholarship on the Social Dimensions of The Formative Period of Sufism", Harith Ramli:


The title khawaja (also spelt as khwaja, khoja etc.) is originally Persian, meaning 'lord' or 'master'. In Egypt and Sudan, usage of the term probably appeared under the Ottomans (maybe earlier under the Mamluks, but i dont think any earlier), whose officials often used Persian or Turkish (during this period a lot of Persian and Turkish words enter Arabic). Such an official might have been referred to as a 'khawaja' by a local. Then the word gets used to refer to any
high-ranking respectable person, like a rich merchant maybe. I'm not sure at which point it get used to refer to Europeans specifically, but maybe this happened in the 19th century, when a lot
of Europeans were hired as advisors and military officers in the Egyptian army of Muhammad Ali and his descendents. Since Sudan was ruled by Egypt at the time, its quite clear that the
word was transferred during this period, although in Sudan itseems to have more of the specific meaning of 'white person'. I remember some fair looking Sudanese being teased by their friends with the nickname 'khwaja' in Khartoum."

I always got the impression in Saudi that it had a "negative" connotation, kind of like "gringo here in NM." But maybe that's a local matter and a good example of the difference between denotation and connotation.

Regards,
John

[trapezius]

This is my understanding of the term:

It is of Persian origin and means master/lord. One of the family names you find in Saudi among Saudis is "Khoja", which has the same root.

Yes, it is specifically used to refer to White folks in Saudi (and Dubai as well). The connotation is as far as I know is as an honorific with slight sarcasm. Definitely not a negative or derogatory term. Sort of like this: "Yes they are our masters, and even though we are not really happy with that arrangement, we understand why they are our masters and we are resigned to that fact". So when a Saudi uses the term "Khawaja" to refer to a US/UK/etc citizen living and working in Saudi, that's the meaning he has in his mind, subconsciously. That's what I know.