In Arabic, the group called itself al-Dawla al-ʾIslāmiyya fī al-ʿIrāq wa al-Shām, which it adopted in April 2013.
[2][3][4][5][6] Originating in Iraq, the group underwent 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.
[7] 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.
The acronym is derived from the group's extended name: "D" / daal(د) = ad-Dawla, "the state [of]", "A" / alif(ا) = al-Islamiyya, "Islam", "E" / 'ayn(ع) = fi'l- 'iraq, "in Iraq", "Sh" / shin(ش) = wa'ash-Sham, "and the Sham (region roughly equivalent to the Levant)".
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 (Daesh vs. al-Islam).
[2][9] "The Levant" generally refers to at least part or all of Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, and Lebanon, though its definition varies.
[4] In contrast to the difficulties in translation of the group's former name, according to The Guardian the group's 2014 name "near enough" literally translates to "Islamic State", however there is still a remaining difficulty since this fails to capture the true Arabic connotations, which are closer to a religious concept of a united Islamic community (ummah) under Sharia law, as opposed to western concept of a bureaucratic state apparatus.
[7] The name Daesh, considered pejorative by the Islamic State,[10] is the common term for the group used in the Muslim world.
It is based on the Arabic letters Dāl, 'alif, `ayn, and shīn, which together form the acronym داعش (Dāʿish) of ISIL's 2013 name al-Dawla al-ʾIslāmiyya fī al-`Irāq wa al-Shām.
"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 – dawāʿish (دواعش) – meaning "bigots who impose their views on others".
[7] 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.
[5] 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.
[14] It has been argued that ISIS has been retained simply because it rolls off the tongue of English speakers, who are familiar with it through its other meaning as the name of an Egyptian goddess.
[17] A spokesman for the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs told Power & Politics in December 2014, "Whether it is called Daesh, ISIL or ISIS, Canada and the coalition agree this heinous terrorist group presents a threat to the region, and the entire world.
That is why Canada has announced a number of measures designed to combat ISIL's brutality and help victims of this barbaric terrorist group.
[2] In face of criticism from politicians, it stood by the decision, arguing Daesh was pejorative and that its approach was necessary to maintain impartiality.
[27] Concerning the issue of using recognisable names, Stephen Pritchard of The Guardian relayed the failure of their paper to get it right when they initially used "The Brotherhood", the rough English translation to refer to the little known Al-Qaeda group in the wake of the September 11 attacks, before quickly dropping it as the Arabic name gained traction, despite it being their chosen brand.