--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -22,6 +22,13 @@
     be removed from Octave 3.12 (or whatever version is the second major
     release after 3.8):
 
+      <none yet>
+
+    The following keywords have been deprecated in Octave 3.8 and will
+    be removed from Octave 3.12 (or whatever version is the second major
+    release after 3.8):
+
+      static
 
 
 Summary of important user-visible changes for version 3.6:

--- a/src/lex.ll
+++ b/src/lex.ll
@@ -1497,10 +1497,26 @@
           lexer_flags.at_beginning_of_statement = true;
           break;
 
+        case static_kw:
+          if ((reading_fcn_file || reading_script_file
+               || reading_classdef_file)
+              && ! curr_fcn_file_full_name.empty ())
+            warning_with_id ("Octave:deprecated-keyword",
+                             "the `static' keyword is obsolete and will be removed from a future version of Octave; please use `persistent' instead; near line %d of file `%s'",
+                             input_line_number,
+                             curr_fcn_file_full_name.c_str ());
+          else
+            warning_with_id ("Octave:deprecated-keyword",
+                             "the `static' keyword is obsolete and will be removed from a future version of Octave; please use `persistent' instead; near line %d",
+                             input_line_number);
+          // fall through ...
+
+        case persistent_kw:
+          break;
+
         case case_kw:
         case elseif_kw:
         case global_kw:
-        case static_kw:
         case until_kw:
           break;
 
@@ -3694,7 +3710,7 @@
     case TRY: std::cerr << "TRY\n"; break;
     case CATCH: std::cerr << "CATCH\n"; break;
     case GLOBAL: std::cerr << "GLOBAL\n"; break;
-    case STATIC: std::cerr << "STATIC\n"; break;
+    case PERSISTENT: std::cerr << "PERSISTENT\n"; break;
     case FCN_HANDLE: std::cerr << "FCN_HANDLE\n"; break;
     case END_OF_INPUT: std::cerr << "END_OF_INPUT\n\n"; break;
     case LEXICAL_ERROR: std::cerr << "LEXICAL_ERROR\n\n"; break;

--- a/src/oct-parse.yy
+++ b/src/oct-parse.yy
@@ -446,7 +446,7 @@
 %token <tok_val> BREAK CONTINUE FUNC_RET
 %token <tok_val> UNWIND CLEANUP
 %token <tok_val> TRY CATCH
-%token <tok_val> GLOBAL STATIC
+%token <tok_val> GLOBAL PERSISTENT
 %token <tok_val> FCN_HANDLE
 %token <tok_val> PROPERTIES METHODS EVENTS ENUMERATION
 %token <tok_val> METAQUERY
@@ -997,9 +997,9 @@
                     $$ = make_decl_command (GLOBAL, $1, $3);
                     lexer_flags.looking_at_decl_list = false;
                   }
-                | STATIC parsing_decl_list decl1
+                | PERSISTENT parsing_decl_list decl1
                   {
-                    $$ = make_decl_command (STATIC, $1, $3);
+                    $$ = make_decl_command (PERSISTENT, $1, $3);
                     lexer_flags.looking_at_decl_list = false;
                   }
                 ;
@@ -3091,9 +3091,9 @@
       retval = new tree_global_command (lst, l, c);
       break;
 
-    case STATIC:
+    case PERSISTENT:
       if (current_function_depth > 0)
-        retval = new tree_static_command (lst, l, c);
+        retval = new tree_persistent_command (lst, l, c);
       else
         {
           if (reading_script_file)

--- a/src/octave.gperf
+++ b/src/octave.gperf
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@
   methods_kw,
   otherwise_kw,
   parfor_kw,
+  persistent_kw,
   properties_kw,
   return_kw,
   set_kw,
@@ -106,11 +107,11 @@
 methods, METHODS, methods_kw
 otherwise, OTHERWISE, otherwise_kw
 parfor, PARFOR, parfor_kw
-persistent, STATIC, static_kw
+persistent, PERSISTENT, persistent_kw
 properties, PROPERTIES, properties_kw
 return, FUNC_RET, return_kw
 set, SET, set_kw
-static, STATIC, static_kw
+static, PERSISTENT, static_kw
 switch, SWITCH, switch_kw
 try, TRY, try_kw
 until, UNTIL, until_kw

--- a/src/pt-bp.cc
+++ b/src/pt-bp.cc
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@
 }
 
 void
-tree_breakpoint::visit_static_command (tree_static_command& cmd)
+tree_breakpoint::visit_persistent_command (tree_persistent_command& cmd)
 {
   do_decl_command (cmd);
 }

--- a/src/pt-bp.h
+++ b/src/pt-bp.h
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@
 
   void visit_global_command (tree_global_command&);
 
-  void visit_static_command (tree_static_command&);
+  void visit_persistent_command (tree_persistent_command&);
 
   void visit_decl_elt (tree_decl_elt&);
 

--- a/src/pt-check.cc
+++ b/src/pt-check.cc
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@
 }
 
 void
-tree_checker::visit_static_command (tree_static_command& cmd)
+tree_checker::visit_persistent_command (tree_persistent_command& cmd)
 {
   do_decl_command (cmd);
 }

--- a/src/pt-check.h
+++ b/src/pt-check.h
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@
 
   void visit_global_command (tree_global_command&);
 
-  void visit_static_command (tree_static_command&);
+  void visit_persistent_command (tree_persistent_command&);
 
   void visit_decl_elt (tree_decl_elt&);
 

--- a/src/pt-decl.cc
+++ b/src/pt-decl.cc
@@ -132,16 +132,16 @@
 // Static.
 
 tree_command *
-tree_static_command::dup (symbol_table::scope_id scope,
+tree_persistent_command::dup (symbol_table::scope_id scope,
                           symbol_table::context_id context) const
 {
   return
-    new tree_static_command (init_list ? init_list->dup (scope, context) : 0,
-                             line (), column ());
+    new tree_persistent_command (init_list ? init_list->dup (scope, context) : 0,
+                                 line (), column ());
 }
 
 void
-tree_static_command::accept (tree_walker& tw)
+tree_persistent_command::accept (tree_walker& tw)
 {
-  tw.visit_static_command (*this);
+  tw.visit_persistent_command (*this);
 }

--- a/src/pt-decl.h
+++ b/src/pt-decl.h
@@ -207,20 +207,20 @@
   tree_global_command& operator = (const tree_global_command&);
 };
 
-// Static.
+// Persistent.
 
 class
-tree_static_command : public tree_decl_command
+tree_persistent_command : public tree_decl_command
 {
 public:
 
-  tree_static_command (int l = -1, int c = -1)
-    : tree_decl_command ("static", l, c) { }
+  tree_persistent_command (int l = -1, int c = -1)
+    : tree_decl_command ("persistent", l, c) { }
 
-  tree_static_command (tree_decl_init_list *t, int l = -1, int c = -1)
-    : tree_decl_command ("static", t, l, c) { }
+  tree_persistent_command (tree_decl_init_list *t, int l = -1, int c = -1)
+    : tree_decl_command ("persistent", t, l, c) { }
 
-  ~tree_static_command (void) { }
+  ~tree_persistent_command (void) { }
 
   tree_command *dup (symbol_table::scope_id scope,
                      symbol_table::context_id context) const;
@@ -233,9 +233,9 @@
 
   // No copying!
 
-  tree_static_command (const tree_static_command&);
+  tree_persistent_command (const tree_persistent_command&);
 
-  tree_static_command& operator = (const tree_static_command&);
+  tree_persistent_command& operator = (const tree_persistent_command&);
 };
 
 #endif

--- a/src/pt-eval.cc
+++ b/src/pt-eval.cc
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@
 }
 
 void
-tree_evaluator::visit_static_command (tree_static_command& cmd)
+tree_evaluator::visit_persistent_command (tree_persistent_command& cmd)
 {
   if (debug_mode)
     do_breakpoint (cmd.is_breakpoint ());

--- a/src/pt-eval.h
+++ b/src/pt-eval.h
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@
 
   void visit_global_command (tree_global_command&);
 
-  void visit_static_command (tree_static_command&);
+  void visit_persistent_command (tree_persistent_command&);
 
   void visit_decl_elt (tree_decl_elt&);
 

--- a/src/pt-pr-code.cc
+++ b/src/pt-pr-code.cc
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@
 }
 
 void
-tree_print_code::visit_static_command (tree_static_command& cmd)
+tree_print_code::visit_persistent_command (tree_persistent_command& cmd)
 {
   do_decl_command (cmd);
 }

--- a/src/pt-pr-code.h
+++ b/src/pt-pr-code.h
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@
 
   void visit_global_command (tree_global_command&);
 
-  void visit_static_command (tree_static_command&);
+  void visit_persistent_command (tree_persistent_command&);
 
   void visit_decl_elt (tree_decl_elt&);
 

--- a/src/pt-walk.h
+++ b/src/pt-walk.h
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
 class tree_colon_expression;
 class tree_continue_command;
 class tree_global_command;
-class tree_static_command;
+class tree_persistent_command;
 class tree_decl_elt;
 class tree_decl_init_list;
 class tree_simple_for_command;
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@
   visit_global_command (tree_global_command&) = 0;
 
   virtual void
-  visit_static_command (tree_static_command&) = 0;
+  visit_persistent_command (tree_persistent_command&) = 0;
 
   virtual void
   visit_decl_elt (tree_decl_elt&) = 0;