Kurdish language

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Kurdish
Kurdî / کوردی
Kurdish diaspora
EthnicityKurds
Native speakers
26 million (2020–2022)[1]
  • Northwestern
    • Kurdish
Dialects
Official status
Official language in
 Iraq[6][a]  
Central Kurdish
sdh – Southern Kurdish
lki – Laki Kurdish
Glottologkurd1259
Linguasphere58-AAA-a (North Kurdish incl. Kurmanji & Kurmanjiki) + 58-AAA-b (Central Kurdish incl. Dimli/Zaza & Gurani) + 58-AAA-c (South Kurdish incl. Kurdi)
Geographic distribution of Kurdish dialects and other Iranian languages spoken by Kurds
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.
 
People
Population
  • Homeland
  • Kurdistan
  • Northern Kurdistan
    )
  • Eastern Kurdistan
    )
  • Southern Kurdistan
    )
  • Western Kurdistan
    )
  • Diaspora
History

Ancient

Karduchian dynasties

Corduene
Zabdicene
Cyrtians
Moxoene
  • Kayusids

Medieval

Modern
Culture
Languages
Kurdish languages
Religion

The Kurdish languages (Kurdî, کوردی) are a group of languages spoken by

Central Kurdish (Sorani), and Southern Kurdish
(Xwarîn).

A separate group of non-Kurdish Northwestern Iranian languages, the

Sorani alphabet, a derivation of Arabic script
.

The classification of Laki as a dialect of Southern Kurdish or as a fourth language under Kurdish is a matter of debate,[2] but the differences between Laki and other Southern Kurdish dialects are minimal.[17]

The literary output in Kurdish was mostly confined to poetry until the early 20th century, when more general literature became developed. Today, the two principal written Kurdish dialects are Kurmanji and Sorani. Sorani is, along with Arabic, one of the two official languages of Iraq and is in political documents simply referred to as "Kurdish".[18][19]

Classification and origin

The Kurdish languages belong to the Iranian branch of the Indo-European family. They are generally classified as Northwestern Iranian languages, or by some scholars as intermediate between Northwestern and Southwestern Iranian.[20][page needed] Martin van Bruinessen notes that "Kurdish has a strong South-Western Iranian element", whereas "Zaza and Gurani [...] do belong to the north-west Iranian group".[21]

Ludwig Paul concludes that Kurdish seems to be a Northwestern Iranian language in origin,[11] but acknowledges that it shares many traits with Southwestern Iranian languages like Persian, apparently due to longstanding and intense historical contacts.

Windfuhr identified Kurdish dialects as Parthian, albeit with a Median substratum. Windfuhr and Frye assume an eastern origin for Kurdish and consider it as related to eastern and central Iranian dialects.[22][23]

The present state of knowledge about Kurdish allows, at least roughly, drawing the approximate borders of the areas where the main ethnic core of the speakers of the contemporary Kurdish dialects was formed. The most argued hypothesis on the localisation of the ethnic territory of the Kurds remains

Baluchi
, Mackenzie concluded that the speakers of these three languages may once have been in closer contact.

Languages

Kurdish dialects are divided into three or four groups, which are not

mutually intelligible without acquired bilingualism.[24][25]

In historical evolution terms, Kurmanji is less modified than Sorani and Pehlewani in both phonetic and morphological structure. The Sorani group has been influenced by among other things its closer cultural proximity to the other languages spoken by Kurds in the region including the Gorani language in parts of Iranian Kurdistan and Iraqi Kurdistan.[26][31]

Philip G. Kreyenbroek, an expert writing in 1992, says:

Since 1932 most Kurds have used the Roman script to write Kurmanji.... Sorani is normally written in an adapted form of the Arabic script.... Reasons for describing Kurmanji and Sorani as 'dialects' of one language are their common origin and the fact that this usage reflects the sense of ethnic identity and unity among the Kurds. From a linguistic or at least a grammatical point of view, however, Kurmanji and Sorani differ as much from each other as English and German, and it would seem appropriate to refer to them as languages. For example, Sorani has neither gender nor case-endings, whereas Kurmanji has both.... Differences in vocabulary and pronunciation are not as great as between German and English, but they are still considerable.[26]

According to Encyclopaedia of Islam, although Kurdish is not a unified language, its many dialects are interrelated and at the same time distinguishable from other Western Iranian languages. The same source classifies different Kurdish dialects as two main groups, northern and central.[31] The reality is that the average Kurmanji speaker does not find it easy to communicate with the inhabitants of Sulaymaniyah or Halabja.[25]

Some linguistic scholars assert that the term "Kurdish" has been applied extrinsically in describing the language the Kurds speak, whereas some ethnic Kurds have used the word term to simply describe their ethnicity and refer to their language as Kurmanji, Sorani, Hewrami, Kermanshahi, Kalhori or whatever other dialect or language they speak. Some historians have noted that it is only recently that the Kurds who speak the Sorani dialect have begun referring to their language as Kurdî, in addition to their identity, which is translated to simply mean Kurdish.[32]

The Mokriani variety of Sorani is widely spoken in Mokrian. Piranshahr and Mahabad are two principal cities of the Mokrian area.[33]

Zazaki and Gorani

Main articles: Zaza language and Gorani language

Zaza–Gorani languages, which are spoken by communities in the wider area who identify as ethnic Kurds, are not linguistically classified as Kurdish.[13][14][15] Zaza-Gorani is classified as adjunct to Kurdish, although authorities differ in the details.[20][page needed] groups Kurdish with Zaza Gorani within a "Northwestern I" group, while Glottolog based on Encyclopædia Iranica prefers an areal grouping of "Central dialects" (or "Kermanic") within Northwest Iranic, with Kurdish but not Zaza-Gorani grouped with "Kermanic".[34]

Hawrami dialects of Gorani includes a variety that was an important literary language since the 14th century, but it was replaced by Central Kurdish in the 20th century.[36]

European scholars have maintained that Gorani is separate from Kurdish and that Kurdish is synonymous with the Northern Kurdish group, whereas ethnic Kurds maintain that Kurdish encompasses any of the unique languages or dialects spoken by Kurds that are not spoken by neighbouring ethnic groups.[37]

Gorani is classified as part of the Zaza–Gorani branch of Indo-Iranian languages.

Shabaki dialect spoken in parts of Iraqi Kurdistan, identify themselves as ethnic Kurds.[13][40][41][42][43][44]

Geoffrey Haig and Ergin Öpengin in their recent study suggest grouping the Kurdish languages into Northern Kurdish, Central Kurdish, Southern Kurdish, Zaza, and Gorani, and avoid the subgrouping Zaza–Gorani.[45]

The notable professor Zare Yusupova has carried out a lot of work and research into the Gorani dialect (as well as many other minority/ancient Kurdish dialects).[46]

History

During his stay in Damascus, historian Ibn Wahshiyya came across two books on agriculture written in Kurdish, one on the culture of the vine and the palm tree, and the other on water and the means of finding it out in unknown ground. He translated both from Kurdish into Arabic in the early 9th century AD.[47]

Among the earliest Kurdish religious texts is the

Faqi Tayran
.

The

Amadiya.[50] This work is very important in Kurdish history as it is the first acknowledgment of the widespread use of a distinctive Kurdish language. Garzoni was given the title Father of Kurdology by later scholars.[51] The Kurdish language was banned in a large portion of Kurdistan for some time. After the 1980 Turkish coup d'état until 1991 the use of the Kurdish language was illegal in Turkey.[52]

Current status

Road signs near Diyarbakır showing the place names in Turkish and Kurdish

Today, Sorani is an official language in Iraq. In Syria, on the other hand, publishing materials in Kurdish is forbidden,[53] though this prohibition is not enforced any more due to the Syrian civil war.[54]

Before August 2002, the Turkish government placed severe restrictions on the use of Kurdish, prohibiting the language in education and broadcast media.

road signs, as well as emergency, social and cultural notices in Kurdish alongside Turkish. Also Imams began to deliver Friday sermons in Kurdish and Esnaf price tags in Kurdish. Many mayors were tried for issuing public documents in Kurdish language.[60] The Kurdish alphabet is not recognized in Turkey, and prior to 2013 the use of Kurdish names containing the letters X, W, and Q, which do not exist in the Turkish alphabet, was not allowed.[61][62] In 2012, Kurdish-language lessons became an elective subject in public schools. Previously, Kurdish education had only been possible in private institutions.[63]

In Iran, though it is used in some local media and newspapers, it is not used in public schools.[64][65] In 2005, 80 Iranian Kurds took part in an experiment and gained scholarships to study in Kurdish in Iraqi Kurdistan.[66]

In Kyrgyzstan, 96.21% of the Kurdish population speak Kurdish as their native language.[67] In Kazakhstan, the corresponding percentage is 88.7%.[68]

Phonology

Main article: Kurdish phonology

Grammar

Main article: Kurdish grammar

Writing system

Main article: Kurdish alphabets

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Official at state level

References

  1. ^ Kurdish language at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) Closed access icon
  2. ^ a b "Atlas of the Languages of Iran A working classification". Languages of Iran. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  3. ISBN 9780080246376
    . Since the most active Soviet Kurdish center has been and continues to be Yerevan, the first alphabet used for publishing Kurdish in the USSR was the Armenian alphabet.
  4. ^ Курдский язык (in Russian). Krugosvet. ...в Армении на основе русского алфавита с 1946 (с 1921 на основе армянской графики, с 1929 на основе латиницы).
  5. Soviet Armenian Encyclopedia
     (in Armenian). Vol. 12. p. 492. ...գրկ. լույս է տեսնում 1921-ից հայկ., 1929-ից՝ լատ., 1946-ից՝ ռուս. այբուբենով...
  6. ^ "Iraq's Constitution of 2005" (PDF). p. 4. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  7. ^ "Kurdistan: Constitution of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region". Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  8. ^ "Social Contract - Sa-Nes". Self-Administration of North & East Syria Representation in Benelux. Archived from the original on 9 December 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  9. ^ "Rojava could be a model for all Syria". Salih Muslim. Nationalita. 29 July 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  10. ISBN 978-1-84769-087-6
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  11. ^ a b Paul, Ludwig (2008). "Kurdish language I. History of the Kurdish language". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica. London and New York: Routledge. Archived from the original on 4 December 2011. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
  12. ISBN 978-1-134-90766-3
    .
  13. ^
    ISBN 1-84511-875-8
  14. ^ a b "Languages of the Middle East". Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  15. ^
    ISBN 9781850434160
    . Retrieved 18 December 2012.
  16. ^ "Kurmanji Kurdish" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  17. Iranica Online
    . Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  18. ^ Allison, Christine. The Yezidi oral tradition in Iraqi Kurdistan. 2001. "However, it was the southern dialect of Kurdish, Sorani, the majority language of the Iraqi Kurds, which received sanction as an official language of Iraq."
  19. ^ "Kurdish language issue and a divisive approach". Kurdish Academy of Language. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015.
  20. ^ a b Gernot Windfuhr, ed., 2009. The Iranian Languages. Routledge.
  21. ^ Bruinessen, M.M. van. (1994). Kurdish nationalism and competing ethnic loyalties Archived 12 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  22. ^ Windfuhr, Gernot (1975), "Isoglosses: A Sketch on Persians and Parthians, Kurds and Medes", Monumentum H.S. Nyberg II (Acta Iranica-5), Leiden: 457-471
  23. ISBN 9783406093975
    .
  24. ^ Hassanpour, A. (1992). Nationalism and language in Kurdistan. San Francisco: Mellon Press. Also mentioned in: kurdishacademy.org Archived 9 July 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  25. ^
    ISBN 978-0-903472-21-0
    , p.139
  26. ^ a b c Philip G. Kreyenbroek, "On the Kurdish Language", a chapter in the book The Kurds: A Contemporary Overview. The book is previewable at Google Book Search Archived 26 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine.
  27. ^ Joyce Blau, Methode de Kurde: Sorani, Editions L'Harmattan (2000), p. 20
  28. ^ Tavadze, Givi (2019). "Spreading of the Kurdish Language Dialects and Writing Systems Used in the Middle East" (PDF). Bulletin of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences: 172. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022.
  29. ISBN 9780812246919.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
    )
  30. ^ Erik Anonby, Mortaza Taheri-Ardali & Amos Hayes (2019) The Atlas of the Languages of Iran (ALI). Iranian Studies 52. A Working Classification Archived 16 October 2021 at the Wayback Machine
  31. ^ a b D.N. MacKenzie, Language in Kurds & Kurdistan, Encyclopaedia of Islam.
  32. ^ [1] Archived 1 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  33. ^ "Background to the language, community, and fieldwork 1.1 Introduction The present work is a grammatical description of the Mukri variety of Central". www.dissertation.xlibx.info. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017.
  34. ^ Glottolog 2.3, Subfamily: Central Iran Kermanic Archived 13 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine. "The Central dialects thus constitute the southernmost group of the so-called Northwest Iranian dialects," Central Dialects Archived 5 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine (iranicaonline.org)
  35. ^ Philip G. Kreyenbroek, "On the Kurdish Language", a chapter in the book The Kurds: A Contemporary Overview.
  36. ^ Meri, Josef W. Medieval Islamic Civilization: A-K, index. p444
  37. ^ Edmonds, Cecil. Kurds, Turks, and Arabs: politics, travel, and research in north-eastern Iraq, 1919–1925. Oxford University Press, 1957.
  38. ^ J. N. Postgate, Languages of Iraq, ancient and modern, British School of Archaeology in Iraq, [Iraq]: British School of Archaeology in Iraq, 2007, p. 138.
  39. ^ "The Ethnic Identity of the Kurds in Turkey" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  40. ^ Abd al-Jabbar, Falih. Ayatollahs, sufis and ideologues: state, religion and social movements in Iraq. University of Virginia 2008.
  41. ^ Sykes, Mark. The Caliphs' last heritage: a short history of the Turkish Empire
  42. ISBN 0-415-94766-9
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  47. ^ Ibn-Waḥšīya, Aḥmad Ibn-ʿAlī (1806). Ancient Alphabets and Hieroglyphic Characters Explained: With an Account of the Egyptian Priests, Their Classes, Initiation, and Sacrifices. Translated by Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall. Bulmer. p. 53. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
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  52. ^ Ross, Michael. The Volunteer (chapter: The Road to Ankara)
  53. ^ Repression of Kurds in Syria is widespread Archived 15 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Amnesty International Report, March 2005.
  54. ^ "After 52-year ban, Syrian Kurds now taught Kurdish in schools". 6 November 2015. Archived from the original on 10 May 2016.
  55. ^ "Special Focus Cases: Leyla Zana, Prisoner of Conscience". Amnestyusa.org. Archived from the original on 10 May 2005. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  56. ^ "Kurdish performers banned, Appeal from International PEN". Freemuse.org. Archived from the original on 13 January 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  57. ^ Turkey to get Kurdish television Archived 13 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine
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  61. Turkish Army has company under the name of AXA OYAK and there is SHOW TV
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  64. INALCO
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  68. ^ "Table 4.1.1 Population by individual ethnic groups" (PDF). Government of Kazakhstan. stat.kz. p. 21. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2012.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kurdish language.
Kurmanji Kurdish edition of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sorani Kurdish edition of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Southern Kurdish test of Wikipedia at Wikimedia Incubator
Laki test of Wikipedia at Wikimedia Incubator
Wikivoyage has phrasebook for Kurdish.
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