بی ادبی

What it means

بی‌ادبی (bi-adabi) is the abstract noun built from bi-adab (rude) plus the suffix -ی (-i), which turns adjectives into abstract nouns. Bi-adab describes a person; bi-adabi describes the behavior or the quality. In English: rude is to rudeness as bi-adab is to bi-adabi.

You use bi-adabi when you want to name the act, not the actor. ینی این یک بی‌ادبی بود (yani in yek bi-adabi bud, this was an act of rudeness). It is what you call a specific moment of failed manners.

How the suffix works

The -ی suffix is one of Persian’s most useful abstraction tools. Stick it on an adjective and you get the noun for the quality. The bi-/ba- adjective family stacks with this suffix cleanly:

• بی‌ادب (bi-adab, rude) → بی‌ادبی (bi-adabi, rudeness)
• با ادب (ba-adab, polite) → با ادبی (ba-adabi, politeness)
• بی‌سواد (bi-savad, illiterate) → بی‌سوادی (bi-savadi, illiteracy)
• بی‌احساس (bi-ehsas, unfeeling) → بی‌احساسی (bi-ehsasi, lack of feeling)

The pattern is mechanical and reliable. Once you can build a bi- adjective, you can build its abstract noun.

How it shows up

Bi-adabi appears in scoldings, in apologies, in court-style speech, in news writing. اون کار یه بی‌ادبی محض بود (un kar ye bi-adabi-ye mahz bud, that act was pure rudeness). از بی‌ادبی‌ام عذر می‌خوام (az bi-adabi-am ozr mikham, I apologize for my rudeness). The word names the failing.

Examples

bi-adabi nakon, sedat-ra pain biar.

Don’t be rude, lower your voice.

بی‌ادبی نکن، صدات را پایین بیار.

az bi-adabi-am sharm-andeham.

I am ashamed of my rudeness.

از بی‌ادبی‌ام شرمنده‌ام.

The intensity scale

Bi-adabi is a mid-range word. For stronger condemnation, Iranians reach for گستاخی (gostakhi, insolence) or بی‌نزاکتی (bi-nezakati, lack of refinement, a synonym in formal speech). For gentler correction they use بی‌ملاحظگی (bi-molahezegi, inconsiderateness). Bi-adabi sits in the middle, the default name for an everyday lapse in courtesy.

In our voice

Bi-adabi is the word Iranians use when they want to name the offense without naming the offender. You can call an act bi-adabi without calling its author bi-adab. The grammar lets you criticize the behavior and leave the person room to recover.

References

• Dehkhoda, بی‌ادبی
• Vajehyab, بی‌ادبی