Kurdish dialects
Encyclopedia
Kurdish dialects are dialects of the Kurdish language
. They are linguistic varieties which differ in pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar from each other and from the various standardised forms of Kurdish.
, Syria
, Iraq
, Iran
, Armenia
and the Lebanon
. It has an estimated 8-10 million speakers and has been written in the Latin alphabet
since the 1930s. Its main dialects are:
and in Western Iran by approx. 5 million speakers. It is written in a Kurdish variant of the Perso-Arabic script
but also in a Latin-based system.
Kurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
. They are linguistic varieties which differ in pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar from each other and from the various standardised forms of Kurdish.
Classification
The Kurdish language and its dialects are part of the Northwestern Iranian languages group. The following macrodialects are commonly described for Kurdish although the debate continues whether some or indeed all of these should be classified as languages:Kurmanji (Northern Kurdish)
The branch with the most speakers, spoken in TurkeyTurkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
and the Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. It has an estimated 8-10 million speakers and has been written in the Latin alphabet
Latin alphabet
The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...
since the 1930s. Its main dialects are:
- Şengalî (MosulMosulMosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
), - Judikani (Central Anatolia)
- Qerejdaxî (Urfa, Qamishlo etc)
- Botanî (Boxtî) (BotanCizreCizre is a town and district of Şırnak Province in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey, located at the border to Syria, just to the north-west of the Turkish-Syrian-Iraqi tripoint....
), - Serhedkî (Western AzerbaijanAzerbaijanAzerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, VanVanA van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people.In British English usage, it can be either specially designed or based on a saloon or sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs...
, ErzurumErzurumErzurum is a city in Turkey. It is the largest city, the capital of Erzurum Province. The city is situated 1757 meters above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 361,235 in the 2000 census. .Erzurum, known as "The Rock" in NATO code, served as NATO's southeastern-most air force post during the...
, KarsKarsKars is a city in northeast Turkey and the capital of Kars Province. The population of the city is 73,826 as of 2010.-Etymology:As Chorzene, the town appears in Roman historiography as part of ancient Armenia...
, AğrıAgriAgri may refer to:* As shorthand or prefix referring to agriculture* Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development * Azerbaijan–Georgia–Romania Interconnector * Ağrı, a city in eastern Turkey* the Agri in southern Italy...
, MuşMus-Computing:* Mus, a file extension used by Finale * MUS, the internal music format used in Doom -Three-letter acronyms:* Mitsubishi UFJ Securities * MUS, the NATO country code for Mauritius...
etc.), - Hekkarî (HakkariHakkariHakkâri , is a city and the capital of the Hakkâri Province of Turkey. The name Hakkâri is derived from the Syriac word, Akkare, meaning farmers...
), - Behdînî (Dahuk and Western Azerbaijan)
- Torî (MardinMardinMardin is a city in southeastern Turkey. The capital of Mardin Province, it is known for its Arabic-like architecture, and for its strategic location on a rocky mountain overlooking the plains of northern Syria.-History:...
and SiirtSiirt- External links :* * * *...
) - Xerzî (BatmanBatman, TurkeyBatman is a city in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey and the capital of Batman Province. It lies on a plateau, 540 meters above sea level, near the confluence of the Batman River and the Tigris. The Batı Raman oil field, which is the largest oil field in Turkey, is located just outside...
and Siirt) - Qochanî (Greater KhorasanGreater KhorasanGreater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
|) - Birjandî (Khorasan)
- Elburzî (Dailam)
- Western Kurmanji (Reshvani)(Adiyaman/Semsûrî) (EntabîGaziantepGaziantep , Ottoman Turkish: Ayintab) previously and still informally called Antep; ʻayn tāb is a city in southeast Turkey and amongst the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. The city is located 185 kilometres northeast of Adana and 127 kilometres by road north of Aleppo, Syria...
, MereşîKahramanmaras-Industry:Kahramanmaraş's industry is mainly based on textile and ice cream. Kahramanmaraş is one of the biggest textile industry cities of Turkey. Companies like Kipaş, İskur, Arsan and Bozkurt are one of the richest companies in the city...
, Sivas, Dersim, MeletîMeletiMeleti is a comune in the Province of Lodi in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 60 km southeast of Milan and about 30 km southeast of Lodi....
etc) - Central Kurmanji (around DiyarbakirDiyarbakirDiyarbakır is one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey...
)
Sorani (Central Kurdish)
Spoken to the South of the Iraqi Kurdish areasIraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...
and in Western Iran by approx. 5 million speakers. It is written in a Kurdish variant of the Perso-Arabic script
Perso-Arabic script
The Persian or Perso-Arabic alphabet is a writing system based on the Arabic script. Originally used exclusively for the Arabic language, the Arabic alphabet was adapted to the Persian language, adding four letters: , , , and . Many languages which use the Perso-Arabic script add other letters...
but also in a Latin-based system.
- Hewlêrî (in ArbilArbilArbil / Hewlêr is the fourth largest city in Iraq after Baghdad, Basra and Mosul...
), - Pishdarî (south of Arbil)
- Xaneqînî (in KhanaqinKhanaqinKhanaqin is a city in Iraq. It is located at 34.3°N, 45.4°E in the Diyala Governorate, near the Iranian border on a tributary of the Diyala River...
), - Mukrî (in MukriyanMukriyanMukriyan, was a Kurdish emirate centered at Mahabad, ruling areas to the south and west of lake Urmia, since the end of 15th century until the middle of 19th century....
), - Silêmanî/Soranî/Babanî (in Sulaimania),
- Erdelanî (in Ardalan),
- Sineyî (in Sanandaj),
- Warmawa (northeast of Arbil),
- Germiyanî (in Kirkuk),
- Jaffi (spoken in Jaff-Stamm),
- Judeo-Kurdisch (in Kermanshah and Hamadan)
Southern Kurdish
Southern Kurdish diverges considerably from the other branches. Its main dialects are:- Kelhurî, Kolyai, Kermanshahi, Garrusi, Sanjabi, Malekshahi, Bayray, Kordali
- Leki, Biranavendî, Kurdshûlî (in Fars), Shêx Bizinî (in Turkey, especially near AnkaraAnkaraAnkara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
), Feylî (in IlamIlam, IranIlam is a city in and the capital of Ilam Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 155,289, in 34,549 families.The Kabir Kuh mountain range lies east of the city. From the west it borders Iraq. The city is populated by Kurds and speak Kurdish.-Climate:Ilam is situated in the cold...
), Silaxûrî and Xacevendî (in Mazandaran)