Ta’ārof: Pragmatic key to Iranian social behavior

William O. Beeman
Table of contents

Taʿārof (تعارف) is a Persian/Arabic term based on the Arabic triliteral root عرف [ʿarafa], “to know.” Other words derived from this root include knowledge, acquaintance, familiarity, skill and information. Ta’ārof literally means “becoming acquainted” in Arabic. In some modern Arabic dialects it is used to indicate “dating.”

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