Kurdish language
| Kurdish (Kurdî) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spoken in: | Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Armenia, Lebanon | |
| Region: | Middle East | |
| Total speakers: | 20–40 million (disputed) | |
| Ranking: | 33 (disputed) | |
| Language family: | Indo-European Indo-Iranian Iranian Western Iranian Northwestern Iranian Kurdish | |
| Writing system: | Arabic (Iraq and Iran), Latin (Turkey and Syria), Cyrillic (the former USSR) | |
| Official status | ||
| Official language of: | Iraq | |
| Regulated by: | no official regulation | |
| Language codes | ||
| ISO 639-1: | ku | |
| ISO 639-2: | kur | |
| ISO/DIS 639-3: | variously: kur — Kurdish (generic) ckb — Central Kurdish kmr — Northern Kurdish sdh — Southern Kurdish | |
| Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. See IPA chart for English for an English-based pronunciation key. | ||
Kurdish (Kurdî) is an Indo-Iranian language spoken in the region loosely called Kurdistan, including Kurdish populations in parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey.<ref>Geographic distribution of Kurdish and other Iranic languages</ref> Kurdish is an official language in Iraq while it is banned in Syria. Before August 2002, the Turkish government placed severe restrictions on the use of Kurdish, prohibiting the language in education and broadcast media.<ref>Special Focus Cases: Leyla Zana, Prisoner of Conscience</ref> In Iran, though it is used in the local media and newspapers, there are some restrictions on its use in education. Teaching Kurmanji Kurdish is prohibited in Iranian schools.<ref>Ethnologue report for Northern Kurdish</ref>
The Kurdish language belongs to the western sub-group of the Iranian languages (which belong to the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages family). The most closely related languages to Kurdish include Persian and Gilaki.
Contents |
History
The Kurdish language has its own historical development, continuity, grammatical system and rich living vocabularies in comparison to other members of the Iranian language family. The claim that the Kurdish language has as its direct ancestor 'the language of the ancient Persia's Medes' seems not to be supported by linguistic data [1].
In March 2006, Turkey allowed private television channels to begin airing Kurdish language programs. However, the Turkish government said that they must steer clear of showing children's cartoons, educational programs that teach the Kurdish language, and can only broadcast for 45 minutes a day or four hours a week. The programs must carry Turkish subtitles.<ref>Turkey to get Kurdish television</ref>
Dialects
Kurdish dialects can be divided into three main groups: the Northern Kurdish group of dialects also called Kurmanji and Badínaní, the Central Kurdish group of dialects also called Sorani, the Southern Kurdish group of dialects.
Some linguists consider two other branches for Kurdish language: the Dimílí group, also called Zaza, and the Auramani group, also called Gorani [2]. However, some other linguists consider Zaza-Gorani as a different sub-group of Northwestern Iranian languages [3].
The detailed classification of Kurdish dialects is problematic. There is no widely-accepted appellative system for the various Kurdish dialects; not only in Western scholarly opinion, but even among the Kurds themselves. This often prompts arguments if these four different dialects are a language on their own or not.
All of the native designators for local language and dialects are based on the way the spoken language of one group sounds to the unaccustomed ears of the other. For instance, Dimila and their vernacular, Dimili, are called Zaza by the Badínaní speakers, with reference to the preponderance of Z sounds in their language (Nikitin 1926). Meanwhile, the Dimila call the Badínaní dialect and its speakers Xerewere. The Gorans refer to the Soraní as Kurkure and Wawa. The Soraní speakers in turn call the Gorans and their vernacular, Goraní or Mecú Mecú, and refer to the tongue and the speakers of Badínaní as Ji Babu.
A proposed system for the classification of the dialects is as follows [citation needed]:
- Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji)
- In Iran, tribes of Herki, Milan, Shekak, Jelali, Heydari in Northern regions and western Azarbaijan province
- In Iran, Kurds in Khorasan.
- In Turkey, almost all the Kurds who live in Erzurum, Dogubayazid, Hakkari, Shamdinan, Behdinan, Abdin, Mardin and Diyarbakir.
- all Kurds who live in the former Soviet Union.
- In Iraq, most of the tribes who live in Duhok, Akra, Amedi, Zakho and Sanjar, Mosul.
- In Syria, all Kurds.
- Central Kurdish (Sorani)
- Southern Kurdish (Pehlewanî)
- Kermashani Kurdish dialect
- Gorani Kurdi dialect
- Old Gorani - Kurdish dialect of Yarsan (Ahl-e Haqq, Yaristan, Kakeyi)
- Macho Macho religious dialect
- Old Gahvarei dialect
- Old Korejoei dialect
- Old Bivenji dialect
- Old Kinduleh dialect
- Bajelani (or Bajalani) dialect spoken in Iraq opposite Sarpul-e Zohab
- Sanjabi dialect
- Kalhur dialect
- Laki dialect [4]
Indo-European linguistic comparison
Due to the fact that Kurdish language is an Indo-European language, there are many words that are cognates in Kurdish and other Indo-European languages such as Avestan, Persian, Sanskrit, German, English, Latin and Greek. (Source: Altiranisches Wörterbuch (1904) for the first two and last six.)
| Kurdish | Avestan | Persian | Sanskrit | Greek | English | German | Latin | Lithuanian | Russian transcription | PIE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ez "I" | azəm | aham | egō | I | ich | ego | aš | ja | *h₁eĝom | |
| jin "woman" | janay- "woman" | zan | janay- | gynē | queen | Königin | regina | žmona | žena | *gʷenh₂- |
| 'mezin "great" | maz-, mazant "gross" | mahī́/máh-/ mahā́nt- | megas | mega | mega | magnus | milžiniškas | ' | *meg'a- "big, great" [5] | |
| mêzer "headband/turban" | mitrah | mitra | miter(bishop's tall hat) | Mitra | mitra | ' | ' | *mei - "to tie" [6],[7](p38) | ||
| 'pez "sheep" | pasu- "sheep, goats" | pashu "animal" | fee from feoh"cattle" | Vieh "cattle" | pecu "cattle" | pekus "ox" | ' | *pek-u- "sheep"[8],[9] | ||
| 'çiya "mountain" | chakād "summit" | kakúd-, kakúbh- "peak/summit" | Gipfel from *xagila- "head" | cacūmen | kalnas | ' | *kak-, *kakud- "top"[10] | |||
| zîndu "alive" jiyan "to live" | jī-/gay- | zende "alive", zîstan "to live" | jīvati | bios "life", zōō "live" | quick | quick "bright" | vīvus "alive", vīvō "live", vīta "life" | gyvas | živoj | *gʷih₃(u̯)- |
| mang "moon" | māh- | māh | mās- | mēn "month" | moon, month | Mond, Monat | mēnsis "month" | mėnuo/mėnesis | mesjac | *meh₁ns- |
| mirdu "dead", mirdin "to die" | mar-, məša- | morda "dead", mordan "to die" | marati, mrta- | brotos "mortal", ambrosios "immortal" | murder | Mord "murder" | morior "die", mors "death" | mirti "to die" | umeret"to die" | *mer-, *mr̻to- |
| ser "head" | sarah- | sar | śiras- | keras "horn", kara "head", krānion "cranium" | dial. harns "brain" | Gehirn "brain" | cerebrum "brain" | ' | ' | *k̂erh₂s- |
| sed "hundred" | satəm | sad | śatam | hekaton | hundred | Hundert | centum | šimtas | sto | *dk̂m̻tom |
| zānîm "I know" zānîn "to know" | zan- | dānam "I know", dānestan "to know" | jānāti | gignōskō | know | kennen | nōscō, co-gnitus | žinau"I know" žinoti "to know" | znaju"I know" znat' "to know" | *ĝneh₃- |
Writing system
- Main article: Kurdish alphabet
The Kurdish language uses three different writing systems. Kurdish in Iran and Iraq is written using a modified version of the Arabic alphabet. In Turkey and Syria, it is written using the Latin alphabet. As an example, see the following online news portal published in Iraqi Kurdistan [11]. Also see the VOA News site in Kurdish [12]. Kurdish in the former USSR uses a modified Cyrillic alphabet. There is also a proposal for a unified international recognised Kurdish alphabet based on ISO-8859-1.<ref>The Kurdish Unified Alphabet</ref>
Phonology
According to the Kurdish Academy of Language, Kurdish has the following phonemes:
Consonants
| Bilabial | Labiodental | Apical | Postalveolar | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stops | p b | t d | k g | q | ||||
| Fricatives | f v | s z | ʃ ʒ | x | h | |||
| Affricates | ʧ ʤ | |||||||
| Nasals | m | n | ŋ | |||||
| Laterals | l ɫ2 | |||||||
| Flaps | ɾ | |||||||
| Trills | r | |||||||
| Approximants | ʋ | j |
Note 1: : Non-Latin scripts also have letters for /ħ/, /ʕ/, and /ɣ/. These may indicate variation among dialects in phoneme inventory, language change, or influence from nearby languages.
Note 2: : Just as in many English dialects, the velarized lateral does not appear in the onset of a syllable.
Vowels
| front | central | back | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| short | long | short | long | short | long | |
| close | i | iː | ʉ | u | uː | |
| mid | e | eː | ə | o | ||
| open | a | |||||
The vowel pairs /i/ and /iː/, /e/ and /eː/, and /u/ and /uː/ contrast in length and not quality. This distinction shows up in the writing system; long vowels have a circumflex ( ^ ) and short vowels do not. As it is with most languages, Kurdish short vowels are not represented at all in the Arabic script..
Dictionaries
Kurdish-only dictionaries
- Wîkîferheng (Kurdish Wiktionary)
- Husein Muhammed: Soranî Kurdish - Kurmancî Kurdish dictionary (2005)
- Khal, Sheikh Muhammad, Ferhengî Xal (Khal Dictionary), Kamarani Press, Sulaymaniya, 3 Volumes,
- Vol. I, 1960, 380 p.
- Vol. II, 1964, 388 p.
- Vol. III, 1976, 511 p.
Kurdish-English dictionaries
- Chyet, Michael L. , Kurdish Dictionary: Kurmanji-English, Yale Language Series, U.S., 2003 (896 pages) (see [13])
- Abdullah, S. and Alam, K. , English-Kurdish (Sorani) and Kurdish (Sorani)-English Dictionary, Star Publications / Languages of the World Publications, India, 2004 (see [14])
- Awde, Nicholas, Kurdish-English/English-Kurdish (Kurmanci, Sorani and Zazaki) Dictionary and Phrasebook, Hippocrene Books Inc., U.S., 2004 (see [15])
- Raman : English-Kurdish(Sorani) Dictionary, Pen Press Publishers Ltd, U.K., 2003, (800 pages) (see [16])
- Saadallah, Salah, English-Kurdish Dictionary, Avesta/Paris Kurdish Insititue, Istanbul, 2000, (1477 pages) (see [17])
- Amindarov, Aziz, Kurdish-English/English-Kurdish Dictionary, Hippocrene Books Inc.,U.S., 1994 (see [18])
- Rizgar, Baran (M. F. Onen), Kurdish-English/English-Kurdish (Kurmancî Dictionary) UK, 1993, 400 p. + 70 illustrations (see [19])
References
<references/>
See also
- Kurdish literature
- Common phrases in Kurdish
- Kurdish Institute of Paris
- Kurdish Institute of Istanbul
- Kurdistan
- List of Kurdish people
- Kurdish culture
- List of Kurdish given names
External links
- The Kurdish Institute of Paris - Language and Literature
- Kurdish Institute of Istanbul
- KAL: The Kurdish Academy of Language
- Kurdish Kurdish links and language information, dictionary etc.
- Open Directory Project: Kurdish Language
- Kurd_lal: Kurdish Language and Linguistics
- Online Kurdish-English Dictionary
- On-line Kurdish-English Dictionary
- Online English to Kurdish to English Dictionary (By Erdal Ronahî)
- Online Kurdish-German-Kurdish Dictionary
- Online Kurdish-English Ferheng Dictionary
- Online Turkish-Kurdish-Turkish Dictionary
- Online Kurdish School for Sorani,Kurmanji and Dimili
- Academic research about Zazaki
- MIT OpenCourseWare online course in Zazaki
- Comparison between alphabets used in Kurdish
Religious texts
Kurdish broadcast programs
- Voice of America, Kurdish Service
- Zayele, Radio Sweden
- SBS Radio's Kurdish Language Program, Australia
- "Evangeliums-Rundfunk of Germany" (ERF)- Christian Programs in Kurdish, Germany
- KurdSat Broadcasting Ltd., Sulaimania, Iraqi Kurdistan
- Kurdistan TV, Iraqi Kurdistan
- Zagros TV , Satellite Channel, Iraqi Kurdistan
- KNNTV
- Tehran Kurdish Radio
- Roj TV Streaming of Kurdish TVals:Kurdisch
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