2006年VOA标准英语-US Azerbaijanis Work to Keep Traditions Alive

By Mike O'Sullivan
Los Angeles
24 October 2006

The modern state of Azerbaijan is just 15 years old, but the country, a part of the former Soviet¹ Union, has maintained its distinctive² traditions. Azerbaijani Americans are working to keep alive their culture and help others understand the nation's problems and potential. Mike O'Sullivan spoke³ with Azerbaijani Americans who attended a recent conference in Los Angeles.

 
Asmar Eyvazova (l) and Nazrin Baghirova
Nazrin Baghirova is studying educational administration at the University of Utah. She tells people about her country and its ancient capital, Baku, and often get quizzical looks, but says it is a great way to start a conversation.

"It is always exciting for me to give them information [about] where I'm from and showing them the location of Azerbaijan on the map, and seeing their reaction - oh, wow," she said.

Her friend, Asmar Eyvazova, works at center for distance education at the University of Texas, Arlington. When Asmar talks about Azerbaijan, reactions range from blank stares to limited recognition.

Some people know, for example, that Azerbaijan has abundant oil supplies. A few realize that its population is mostly Turkic-speaking and Muslim. On occasion, she meets people who have traveled to Azerbaijan.

"Those who have been to our country, they just really express it immediately that, oh, you are very hospitable," she said. "People are really nice and they like having guests and offer the best things that they have in their houses."

 
Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea and Iran, Georgia, Armenia, Russia and Turkey. The region was in the news in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and the news for Azerbaijan was mostly bad.

A separatist movement of ethnic⁴ Armenians declared independence in the Azerbaijani enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, where they formed the dominant⁵ group. Fighting erupted and Azerbaijan lost 16-percent of its territory to Armenia. The dispute is unresolved, despite a 1994 cease-fire, and Azerbaijan is now coping with more than half a million displaced people.

 
Elin Suleymanov
Other Azerbaijanis are scattered⁶ around the world, and many have come to the United States to settle or study. Elin Suleymanov is consul⁷ general for Azerbaijan in Los Angeles. He estimates there are from 200,000 to 500,000 Azerbaijani Americans, a figure that includes ethnic Azeris from Iran.

"They share the language and the culture, and attitude, and cuisine⁸ and everything else," he said. "And increasingly they share the identity."

He says Azerbaijanis come from a difficult neighborhood, and part of the reason for holding this Los Angeles meeting is to get Azeri Americans to tell their story. He urged his countrymen to get involved in U.S. civic⁹ life and make sure their congressional representatives get to know them.

One participant at the conference is not from Azerbaijan, but is helping¹⁰ educate the world about the Caucasus nation.

 
Betty Blair
Betty Blair edits a quarterly publication called Azerbaijan International. She and her husband, an Azerbaijani, started the magazine in 1993 to answer questions like this one she has encountered.

"Is this in Africa? Where is it? What is it," she said.

She says when she and her husband started the magazine, fighting was raging with Armenia, and Americans often heard the Armenian side.

"That other side of the story was not being presented," she said. "And we just started very simply, 16 pages."

 
Traditional Azerbaijani dancing
Now, each issue the glossy¹¹ magazine has 100 pages of articles and pictures on Azerbaijani history, literature, and culture. The couple also runs what is billed as the world's largest website about Azerbaijan, called www.azer.com.

Blair says that over the years, Azerbaijan has been under the rule of czars, shahs, caliphs and khans, and now, is coping with the problems of independence.

The country has been called an authoritarian¹² democracy. Critics say its oil wealth remains¹³ largely undeveloped and that the nation is mismanaged and plagued with corruption¹⁴.

But Azerbaijani Americans say their ties with their homeland are still strong, and that they hope to play a role in the country's development.

1 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

2 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

5 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

6 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

7 consul   

n.领事；执政官

参考例句：

• A consul's duty is to help his own nationals.领事的职责是帮助自己的同胞。
• He'll hold the post of consul general for the United States at Shanghai.他将就任美国驻上海总领事(的职务)。

8 cuisine   

n.烹调，烹饪法

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• This restaurant is renowned for its cuisine.这家餐馆以其精美的饭菜而闻名。

9 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

10 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

11 glossy   

adj.平滑的；有光泽的

参考例句：

• I like these glossy spots.我喜欢这些闪闪发光的花点。
• She had glossy black hair.她长着乌黑发亮的头发。

12 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

13 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

14 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。