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{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{EngvarB|date=December 2015}}
The name of the [[Islamic State]] has been contentious since 2013. In [[Arabic]], the group called itself ''{{Transliteration|ar|al-DawlahDawla al-IslāmīyahʾIslāmiyya fī al-`IrāqʿIrāq wa al-Shām'' ({{lang|ar|الدولة الإسلامية في العراق والشام}}), which it adopted in April 2013. The literal translation of its previous name resulted in confusion, resulting in both ISIS and ISIL, two acronyms based on different literal translations of the name into [[English language|English]]. Apart from these, an Arabic-derived acronym, "Daesh", ''Da'ish'' or ''Dā`iš'' ({{langTransliteration|ar|داعشDāʿish}}), which is also the common name for the group beyondin the Arabic-speaking parts of the[[Muslim world]].<ref name="USDOS14May2014"/> Finally, the group's current name caused controversy due to its English translation as Islamic State and as a result, both the previous acronyms are still widely used, or a qualifier is often added to the IS name, such as "Islamic State militant group", "Islamic State extremist group", "Islamic State terrorist group", "self-styled Islamic State" or "so-called Islamic State".<ref name=BBC2Dec2015>{{cite news |last1=Irshaid|first1=Faisal|title=Isis, Isil, IS or Daesh? One group, many names|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-27994277|publisher=[[BBC]]|access-date=2 December 2015|date=2 December 2015}}</ref><ref name=Inquisitr18Jun2014>{{cite news |last1=Saxena |first1=Vivek |title=ISIS vs ISIL – Which One Is It? |url=http://www.inquisitr.com/1306844/isis-vs-isil-which-one-is-it/ |access-date=20 June 2014 |publisher=The Inquisitr |date=18 June 2014}}</ref><ref name=WashingtonPost18June2014>{{cite news |last1=Tharoor |first1=Ishaan |title=ISIS or ISIL? The debate over what to call Iraq's terror group |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/06/18/isis-or-isil-the-debate-over-what-to-call-iraqs-terror-group/?_ga=1.75244306.1823250761.1403224335 |access-date=21 June 2014 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=18 June 2014}}</ref><ref name=YNet9Dec2014>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4570385,00.html |title=Is it IS, ISIS, ISIL or maybe Daesh? |date=9 December 2014 |publisher=[[Ynetnews]]}}</ref><ref name=TheWeek2Dec2015>{{cite news|url=http://www.theweek.co.uk/isis/62422/islamic-state-daesh-or-isis-the-dilemma-of-naming-the-militants |title=Islamic State, Daesh or Isis: the dilemma of naming the extremists |date=2 December 2015 |publisher=The Week}}</ref>
==Background==
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Originating in Iraq, the group underwent [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant#Name|various previous name changes]], and since 2006 had been known as Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), a name which had failed to gain any traction, as the group had failed to gain or hold any significant territory as ISI, and thus widespread confusion over what to call them was largely absent.<ref name=NYT2Dec2015/> Confusion began when the group gained further territory and changed its name to ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah fī 'l-ʿIrāq wa-sh-Shām in April 2013 as it expanded into Syria. It then changed to ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah in June 2014 as part of a desire to re-establish a [[caliphate]].<ref name=Inquisitr18Jun2014/> The rendering of the Arabic name in English varies, due to imprecise translation.<ref name=WashingtonPost25Nov2015/>
In the Arab world and beyond, the group is referred to by its Arabic-language acronym "''Daesh''" (alt. ''Da'esh'' | [[Arabic]]: داعش), pronounced| "dah-ESH" (altpronunc. "''Dadah-ESH'esh''"). The acronym is derived from the group's extended name: "D" / dadaal(د) = ''ad-'''D'''awla'', "the Statestate ([of)]", "A" / alif(ا) = ''al-'''I'''slamiyya'', "the IslamicIslam", "E" / 'ayn(ع) = ''fi'l-''' 'i'''raq'', "in the Iraq", "Sh" / shin(ش) = ''wa'ash-'''Sh'''am'', "and the [[Syria_(region)|Sham]] [(region roughly equivalent to the [[Levant]]])".
"Daesh" is a [[Transcription (linguistics)|transcription]] of the pronunciation of the group's acronym in Arabic. Unfortunately, it is not an English-language acronym in its own right, due to discrepancies between English/Arabic alphabets and phonologies. Specifically, the Arabic letter shin (ش) has no letter equivalent in English, though it makescan abe soundeasily identicalrepresented toby the [[Digraph (orthography)|digraph]] "sh". Alif (ا) is usually equated to the letter A, but in fact can represent several different vowel sounds as well as a glottal stop, depending on the context (''D'''a'''esh'' vs. ''al-'''I'''slam''). Additionally, the pronunciation of the letter 'ayn (ع) is also variable, and has no equivalent letter or vocalization in English.
==Translation of the name's components==
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==Other names==
Reflecting the desire to build a caliphate, the group also refers to itself as "al-Dawlah", meaning simply "the State".<ref name=WashingtonPost25Nov2015/> and by "Dawlatul Islam" meaning "state of Islam". Syrians living under the group's control referred to them as "al-tanẓīm,", Arabic for "the organization.".<ref name=NYT2Dec2015/> Reflecting the group's origins as a renegade splinter group, supporters of Al-Qā`idah referred to the group simply as "al-Baġdādī's group".<ref name=NYT2Dec2015/>
===Daesh and variants===
The name Daesh, considered pejorative by the Islamic State,<ref>{{cite news |last1=NABIH BULOS |title=Family says 7 children were killed in Kabul drone strike; U.S. is investigating |url=https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-08-30/family-says-several-children-killed-us-missile-strike-kabul |access-date=30 August 2021 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=30 August 2021 |language=en |quote=Daesh?” he said, referring to Islamic State by its Arabic acronym, which is considered a pejorative by the group}}</ref> oftenis the common term for the group used byin ISIL'sthe Arabic-speaking[[Muslim detractorsworld]]. It is based on the Arabic letters [[Dāl]], [['alif]], [[Ayin|`ayn]], and [[shīn|šīn]], which together form the acronym {{lang|ar|داعش}} ({{Transliteration|ar|Dāʿish}}) of ISIL's 2013 name ''{{translTransliteration|ar|al-'''D'''awlahawla '''a'''l-IslāmīyahʾIslāmiyya fī al-'''`I'''rāq wa al-'''ŠSh'''ām}}''.<ref name="USDOS14May2014">{{cite web |url=https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/266556.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203085102/https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/266556.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 February 2017|title=Terrorist Designations of Groups Operating in Syria |publisher=United States Department of State |date=14 May 2014 |access-date=18 June 2014}}</ref> It is pronounced with the emphasis on a long "e", which lends itself to being said in a snarling or aggressive tone in Arabic speech.<ref name=Guardian2Jan2015/> The acronym was reportedlysupposedly first used by supporters of Syrian Presidentpresident [[Bashar al-Assad]].<ref name=HeraldSun11Jan2015/>{{Disputed inline|date=December 2015}} Daesh is used by manymainstream Muslims, who believe it better separates the group from their faith.<ref name=TheWeek2Dec2015/>
While "Daesh" has no other meaning in Arabic, it is very similar to the Arabic word {{lang|ar|دعس}} (''Daes{{Transliteration|ar|Dāʿis}}''), meaning "one who crushes (or tramples down) something underfoot". It also resembles the Arabic word {{lang|ar|داحس}} (''{{Transliteration|ar|Dāhis}}''), the beginning of {{lang|ar|داحس والغبراء}} (''Dāhis wa'l-Ghabrā''', or "Felonfelon and dust"), which refers to the Islamic concept of the [[Jahiliyyah]]<ref>{{cite web |author=Pieter van Ostaeyen |title=On the Origin of the 'Name' DAESH – The Islamic State in Iraq and as-Shām |url=https://pietervanostaeyen.wordpress.com/2014/02/18/on-the-origin-of-the-name-daesh-the-islamic-state-in-iraq-and-as-sham/ |date=18 February 2014 |access-date=4 December 2015}}</ref> and can be loosely translated as "one who sows discord".<ref name=TheWeek2Dec2015/> Both words obviously have a negative connotation in Arabic culture, undermining the group's claim to have revived the Caliphate, leading to the group objecting to it as a [[pejorative]] name.<ref name=BBC2Dec2015/><ref name=NYT2Dec2015/> Another reason for objection is the rarity of acronyms in Arabic, particularly those which have no meaning. "The United Nations" for example is always translated directly in Arabic, with no "UN" acronym equivalent. "[[Fatah]]" and "[[Hamas]]" are acronyms but they are also Arabic words in their own right (meaning "Conquestconquest" and "Zealzeal" respectively). "Daesh" however is not only an acronym but also phonetically meaningless in Arabic, reducing the legitimacy of the name and by extension the group to which it belongs.
However, according to the British ambassador to Iraq speaking in January 2015, ''Daesh'' has since become an Arabic word in its own right, with a plural – daw'aish{{Transliteration|ar|dawāʿish}} ({{lang|ar|دواعش}}) – meaning "bigots who impose their views on others".<ref name=Guardian2Jan2015>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/12/tony-abbott-say-hell-now-use-daesh-instead-of-isil-for-death-cult-but-why |title=Australian PM says he'll now use Daesh instead of Isil for 'death cult' – but why? |date=12 January 2015 |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> By the end of the year, the plural term was in widespread use in the middleMiddle East.<ref name=NYT2Dec2015>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/12/02/world/middleeast/ap-ap-explains-islamic-state-acronyms.html |title=AP EXPLAINS: Is It IS, ISIS or ISIL, and What's a Daesh? |date=2 December 2015 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>
According to ''Associated Press'' reporting the words of residents of Mosul in Iraq who were speaking on condition of anonymity, the group itself wishes to be referred by its full name only, Islamic State, considering the acronym Daesh to be disrespectful, going so far as to threaten to cut the tongue out of anyone who used it in public.<ref name=YNet9Dec2014/> According to ''The Week'', experts argue that it is a key aim of the group to secure sole use of names which imply statehood and an Islamic faith, for purposes of [[propaganda]].<ref name=TheWeek2Dec2015/> According to the American commander of the US mission in Iraq and Syria, Lt Gen [[James L. Terry]], the Arab coalition partners believed strongly that the US should avoid referring to the enemy as ISIL and instead use Daesh, to avoid giving legitimacy to the group's aims.<ref name=TheWeek2Dec2015/>
Although these names were being widely used in the ArabicArab world, the westernWestern media outlets were initially slow to adopt them, instead in favour of ISIS/ISIL. This has subsequently changed after the group's name change to IS, with media and politicians now using it widely, with the BBC speculating this was either "despite or perhaps as a direct consequence of the irritation it causes the group".<ref name=BBC2Dec2015/><ref name=WashingtonPost18June2014/> [[Karin Ryding]], emerita professor of Arab linguistics at [[Georgetown University]], suggested Daesh is sub-optimal, since many English speakers are unable to pronounce it the same way Arabic speakers do, due to the [[voiced pharyngeal fricative]], represented by the apostrophe in Dai'ish.<ref name=WashingtonPost25Nov2015/>
=== Self-Styled Islamic State ===
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The [[United Nations]] generally refers to the group as ISIL.<ref name=BBC2Dec2015/><ref name=WashingtonPost18June2014/><ref name=NYT2Dec2015/> Former U.N. Secretary-General [[Ban Ki-moon]] has also used "Un-Islamic Non-State".<ref name=WashingtonPost25Nov2015/>
Governments of the [[Arab states]] adopted Da'esh initially,Daesh and have continuedcontinue to use it ratherinstead thanof IS.<ref name=YNet9Dec2014/> The [[Cabinet of Israel|Israeli government]] approach has been the same as Arab states.<ref name=YNet9Dec2014/>
The [[Government of the United Kingdom|British government]] originally used ISIL, but adopted Daesh on 2 December 2015.<ref name=TheWeek2Dec2015/><ref name=Guardian24Sep2014/>
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