April 8. On this date in 1923, Shoghi Effendi sent "the list of the best known and most current Bahá'í terms, and other Oriental names and expressions, all properly and accurately transliterated, the faithful spelling of which by all the Western friends will avoid confusion in future, and insure in this matter a uniformity which is greatly needed at present in all Bahá'í literature."

April 8. On this date in 1923, Shoghi Effendi sent "the list of the best known and most current Bahá'í terms, and other Oriental names and expressions, all properly and accurately transliterated, the faithful spelling of which by all the Western friends will avoid confusion in future, and insure in this matter a uniformity which is greatly needed at present in all Bahá'í literature."

Letter 12
Transliteration of Bahá'í Terms
P.S. On another page [The complete list of terms is to be found in Bahá'í World, volume VII.] is given the list of the best known and most current Bahá'í terms, and other Oriental names and expressions, all properly and accurately transliterated, the faithful spelling of which by all the Western friends will avoid confusion in future, and insure in this matter a uniformity which is greatly needed at present in all Bahá'í literature. The full code will be duly communicated to the various National Assemblies, and the transliteration of the Oriental terms mentioned in the English letters sent out by the Haifa Spiritual Assembly will provide a correct and reliable supplement to the above-mentioned list. I feel confident that all the friends will from now on follow this system and adhere scrupulously and at all times to this code in all their writings.
To the beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful, the accredited delegates to the Annual Convention of America, Chicago, Illinois.
Dearly beloved brothers and sisters in `Abdu'l-Bahá:
On this auspicious occasion, when the elected representatives of the Bahá'í Community throughout the continent of America, gathered for the first time within the Foundation Hall of the stately edifice of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, are assembled to take counsel together regarding those vital issues that confront the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh in that land, may I, as one of your humble fellow-workers in the field of service, offer you from the very depths of my heart my brotherly love and sincere greetings, and assure you of my fervent prayers for the success of your deliberations and the attainments of your hearts' desire.
You stand at this challenging hour in the history of the Cause at the threshold of a new era; the functions you are called upon to discharge are fraught with immense possibilities; the responsibilities you shoulder are grave and momentous; and the eyes of many peoples are turned, at this hour, towards you, expectant to behold the dawning of a Day that shall witness the fulfilment of His divine Promise.
Forgetful of the past and its vicissitudes, conscious of the need for renewed and combined effort, freed from all earthly limitations and motives, with every lingering trace of ill-feeling forever banished from our hearts, freshly united and determined, let us join in deep and silent communion with the ever-watchful Spirit of our beloved `Abdu'l-Bahá, and with humility and earnestness supplicate for the guidance that will enable us to fulfil the task which is now committed to our charge. May this year's Convention, by the range of its activities, by the character of its proceedings, by its faithful adherence to the divine Instructions of our loving Master, and above all by its radiant spirit of enthusiasm and true fellowship, prove itself one of the greatest landmarks in the history of the Cause in America.
May the all-pervading Spirit of Bahá'u'lláh so permeate the souls of its members as to cause it to mirror forth the glories and the splendors of the Celestial Concourse.
Your devoted brother,
SHOGHI.
Haifa, Palestine.
April 8, 1923

 

The Bahá'í orthography used to transcribe Arabic and Persian words into Latin script relies on a system that was formally introduced by Shoghi Effendi in a letter dated March 20, 1925 noting "the transliteration of the Oriental terms mentioned in the English letters sent out by the Haifa Spiritual Assembly will provide a correct and reliable supplement to the above-mentioned list."

This system is highly defective, however.

Consider the very name of the religion itself: "Bahá'í"

The accent and phonemic diacritic marks in the word "Bahá'í" indicate a three syllable pronunciation as [bæhɒːˈʔiː].

However, the official pronunciation guide of the Bahá'í World News Service gives a two syllable pronunciation of "Ba-HIGH," /bəˈhaɪ/.

The exact realization of the English pronunciation varies according to other sources. The Oxford English Dictionary has /bæˈhɑːiː/ ba-HAH-ee. Merriam-Webster has /bɑːˈhɑːiː/ bah-HAH-ee. The Random House Dictionary has /bəˈhɑːiː/ bə-HAH-ee. These three dictionaries all give a pronunciation with three syllables. For more discussion, please see Banani, Amin, A Baha'i Glossary and Pronunciation Guide (MP3), Bahá’i Study and Shahrokh, Darius, "Windows to the Past Series", Bahá’i Library – A Guide to Pronunciation part 1 and 2, for more pronunciation instructions.

The defectiveness of Shoghi Effendi's orthography is also evidenced in the manner with which major encyclopedias spell the word "Bahá'u'lláh."

For example, the Encyclopædia Britannica has an article about "Bahāʾ Allāh" and the Encyclopædia Iranica has an article about "Bahāʾ-Allāh."

For many other words as well, the Bahá'í orthographic transliteration can often differ markedly from more common standard transliterations presently in use...

Bahá'í Orthography	Standard Transliteration	IPA	Perso-Arabic Spelling
Ádhirbáyján	Azerbaijan	[ˌæzərbaɪˈdʒɑːn]	آذربایجان
Fátimih	Fatima	[faːtˤɪmaː]	فَاطِمَة
Shoghí	Shawki	[ʃæwʔi]	شوقي
Siyyid	Sayyid	[səj.jɪd]	سيد