Kurdish language

Origins, features, interesting facts and useful phrases

  • The Kurdish language is spoken by millions of people, mainly in the Kurdistan region.

  • Its history, origins and diverse dialects are an important part of the Kurdish national identity.

Origins and History of the Kurdish Language

Kurdish belongs to the family of Indo-European languages, which means it is related to languages such as Persian, as well as more distantly to European languages such as English and German.

Kurdish evolved from the ancient Median languages, and its modern form was formed over many centuries under the influence of neighboring cultures and languages, especially Arabic and Persian.

The beginning of the Gospel of Mark in Kurdish (Mukri), translated by Detwig von Oertzen (1876-1950), printed in Plovdiv 1909.

Features of the Kurdish language

The Kurdish language is characterized by its dialectal diversity. The main dialects are:

  • Kurmanji – Used mainly in the north, in Turkey, Syria and northern Iraq.
  • Sorani – the most popular in Iraqi and Iranian Kurdistan.
  • Pehlewani – Used mainly in western Iran.

These dialects differ not only in pronunciation and grammar, but also in writing – Kurmanji is usually written in the Latin alphabet, while Sorani uses the Arabic alphabet.

Kurdish multilingualism

Many Kurds, especially those living in national borderlands, speak several languages as a result of centuries of coexistence with other ethnic groups.

Literary diversity

Kurdish has a rich literary tradition, especially in poetry, and Kurdish poets are known for their mastery of language and ability to paint with words.

Endangered language

Although Kurdish is the mother tongue of millions of people, it is often marginalized, especially in countries where state policies do not allow its free use.

Kurdish, like many Indo-European languages, has a rich grammatical structure. A few interesting features are:

  • Case system – Although cases are limited in some dialects, Kurdish has retained an intricate system of cases (e.g., nominative, complement) that helps determine the function of words in a sentence.
  • Word order – The typical sentence formation in Kurdish is subject-verb-verb-complement (SOV), which means that the verdict usually appears at the end of the sentence.
  • Rich palette of sounds – Like other languages of the region, Kurdish has sounds that can be difficult for non-native speakers to pronounce, such as the throaty “x” similar to the “ch” sound in German “Bach.”

Useful phrases in Kurdish

For those interested in learning basic phrases, here are some useful expressions in Kurmanji dialect:

Good morning – Roj baş

Good evening – Êvar baş

Thank you – Spas

How are you doing? – Çawa yî?

My name is … – Navê min … e

Sorry – Bibore

Goodbye – Bi xatirê te

The Kurdish language is not only a means of communication, but also a symbol of Kurdish national and cultural identity. With its history, diversity and beautiful literature, it is a language of great interest to linguists and those interested in Middle Eastern culture.

Despite the many challenges facing the Kurdish language, its speakers and lovers strive to keep its rich tradition alive and accessible to future generations.