Regional variation in Kurmanji: A preliminary classification of dialects

Abstract

Historical linguistic sources of Kurdish date back just a few hundred years, thus it is not possiInvestigation of the regional variation in Kurmanji, especially its varieties spoken in Turkey, has been almost entirely neglected in the existing literature on Kurdish. In addition to earlier isolated examinations of Kurmanji dialects (cf. MacKenzie, 1961; Ritter, 1971, 1976; Blau, 1975; Jastrow, 1977), native-speaker researchers have recently provided a substantial amount of dialect material across the Kurmanji-speech zone. However, a methodologically-informed evaluation of these observations into a dialect classification is yet to be undertaken. This article aims at providing an initial classification of Kurmanji-internal variation into major regional dialects, based on lexical, phonological and morphosyntactic data collected from five localities in Southeastern Turkey.Cihêrengiya zimanî ya navxweyî di kurmanciyê de: tesnîfeke seretayî ya zaravayan Di nav xebatên li ser zimanê kurdî de, heta niha, vekolîna cudatiyên devok û zaravayên kurmanciyê, bi taybetî ewên di nav sînorên Tirkiyeyê de, hema bi temamî hatiye piştguhkirin. Ji bilî çend xebatên serbixwe yên pêştir li ser zaravayên kurmancî (wek MacKenzie 1961; Ritter, 1971 û 1976; Blau, 1976; Jastrow 1977), di nav van salên dawî de vekolerên kurdîziman qewareyeke mezin a dane û materyelên ji gelek zaravayên kurmanciyê berhev kirine. Lê belê, hêj ev çavdêriyên berbelav bi rengekî metodolojîk nehatine nirxandin ku tesnîfeke zaravayan jê bi dest bikeve. Ev meqale dil dike tesnîfeke seretayî ya zaravayên serekî yên kurmanciyê pêşkêş bike li ser bingehê daneyên peyvî û fonolojîk û rêzimanî yên li pênc deverên başûr-rojhilatê Tirkiyeyê berhevkirî.جیاوازی ناوچەیی لەناو کرمانجیدا: پۆلینبەندییەکی سەرەتایی زاراوەکان لەناو ئەو لێکۆڵینەوانەی کە سەبارەت بە جیاوازی ناوچەیی لە کرمانجیدا ئەنجام دراوە، بەتایبەت ئەوانەی کە لەمەڕ جۆربەجۆری ئەو [زاراوانەی] کە لە تورکیا قسەیان پێ دەکرێ، بەتەواوی لەمەڕ هەبوونی ئەدەبیاتێکی هەبوو بە زمانی کوردی چاوپۆشی دەکرێت. سەرەڕای چەند تاقیکردنەوەیەکی تاک و تەرا سەبارەت بە شێوەزارەکانی کرمانجی کە پێشتر بەئەنجام گەیشتوون (بەراوردی بکەن لەگەڵ مەک‌کینزی، ١٩٦١؛ ڕیتێر، ١٩٧١ و ١٩٧٦؛ بلەو، ١٩٧٦؛ یاسترۆ، ١٩٧٧) لەم ساڵانەی دواییدا توێژەرانی کورد ڕادەیەکی بەرچاو لە مادەی پێویست سەبارەت بە شێوەزارەکانی کرمانجییان لە دەڤەری کرمانجی ئاخێودا دەستەبەر کردووە. هەرچەند بەمەبەستی پۆلینبەندی زاراوەکان، هەتاکوو ئێستا، هەڵسەنگاندنێکی مێتۆدیک و پڕزانیاری لەسەر ئەم تێڕامانانە ئەنجام نەدراوە. ئامانجی ئەم وتارە بریتییە لەوەی کە پۆلینبەندییەکی سەرەتایی لەو جیاوازییە ناوخۆییەی کە لە زاراوە سەرەکییەکانی ناوچە کرمانجی ئاخێوەکاندا هەیە بەدەستەوە بدات و بۆ ئەم مەبەستە توێژینەوەکە لەسەر بنەمای ئەو داتا وشەیی، دەنگناسی و پێکهاتەی ڕێزمانییانە ئەنجام دەدرێت کە لە پێنج ناوچەی باشوری ڕۆژهەڵاتی تورکیا کۆ کراونەتەوە.

Language ideologies and identities in Kurdish heritage language classrooms in London

“…Based on Öpengin and Haig (2014) While it is conceivable that further research on the dialects of Kurmanji will reveal other factors such as religious affinity, i.e. whether the dialect community is of the Alevi or Sunni sect, to be also crucial in defining variation across dialects, our findings nevertheless provide evidence to the act that geographical factors indeed do play a significant role in determining the properties of the individual dialects (Özsoy and Türkyılmaz 2006:300).…”

Remarks on Vowels and Consonants in Kurmanji

“… See L'alphabet Kurde Adapte Aux Caracteres Latins by Akın (2006) for detailed information (socio-political, linguistic and historical developments) about the use of Latin characters for Kurdish.3 Being the first professional research in Kurdish dialectology, Öpengin and Haig's study on dialect regions of Kurmanji spoken in Turkey is invaluable. The results of the current study would be more meaningful if they are interpreted and compared with other Kurmanji dialects mentioned inÖpengin and Haig (2014). Also, the morphosyntactic properties of Muş Kurmanji are investigated in comparison to the Standard Kurmanji in an earlier study so seeGündoğdu (2011) for a detailed analysis.…”

“…Therefore, eight vowels in orthography correspond to ten vowels in the spoken form of Muş Kurmanji. The vowels in Muş Kurmanji are provided in the table below (the vowels corresponding to more than one sound are put together): As it is mentioned in earlier studies such as Blau (1989), Özsoy and Türkyılmaz (2006), Thackston (2006), Öpengin and Haig (2014), the stops and affricates in Kurmanji exhibit a three-way contrast between aspirated and unaspirated voiceless stop and a voiced stop, e.g., aspirated voiceless velar stop /k h /, unaspirated voiceless velar stop /k/ and voiced velar stop /g/. It has been observed that aspiration also makes a distinction in Muş Kurmanji.…”

Language Attitudes and Religion: Kurdish Alevis in the UK

“…I will use these terms only when necessary otherwise I will use the terms Bohtan and Maraş since it was these that were used by participants during my ethnographic fieldwork. MRKr shows highly divergent features -lexically and phonologically -from BHKr, and it is the most stigmatised [variety] among all the Kurmanji varieties (Öpengin and Haig 2014). This stigma is assigned in all levels of Kurdish society because MRKr is stereotyped as a mixture of Turkish and Kurdish and hence identified as a "contaminated" variety.…”

“…In the actual study I asked the respondents to write the name of a city where they guessed the speaker was from. I categorised these regions on the basis of Öpengin and Haig (2014). Drawing on the perceptions of the listeners, BHKr corresponds to cities such as Mardin, Batman, Sirnak and Urfa.…”