Kurmanji

Kurmanji (Kurdish: Kurmancî) (sometimes misspelled as Kirmanji or Kermanji) is one of the Kurdish dialects spoken in Kurdistan and the former Soviet republics and by Kurds living in Central Asia.

Whether it is a language, a dialect or a class of dialects is disputed.

Kurmanci is used by some Kurdish linguists to describe the larger of the two branches of the Kurdish language. Other linguists explain that Kurmanji and Sorani are not simply dialects of the same language, but rather they are distinct languages.[1]

Dialects

The term Kurmanji is used by some Kurdish linguists to describe the larger of the two branches of the Kurdish language, which includes the dialects Northern Kurmanji (derived from Kermanshah), Bahdini and Sorani. Kurds have also used the term Kurmanji as an identity for Kurds that speak the three dialects of the Kurmanji branch. This term is in contrast to Gorani or Dimili (also Zaza), which have been used to describe other people in the region who speak Zaza-Gorani languages.

The Northern Kurmanji dialect, also referred to as simply Kurmanji, uses the Latin script and is the most common dialect of the Kurdish language, being spoken by 80% of all Kurds. The Latin script in which Kurdish is written in Turkey and Syria as well as in exile communities in Europe, the United States, Canada and Australia is based on Jaladet Bedirkhan’s (Celadet Bedirxan’s) alphabet.

Most early modern Kurdish literature is in this dialect.

Etymology

Kurdmanj

The term Kurmanji, or Kurdmanj, which is the traditional endonym of Kurds for themselves and their language, is believed by some scholars to mean Median Kurd. Some scholars say the older form of this word is Khormenj (also possibly Hormenj, which means “place of Khormens” or “land of Khormens” in Kurdish). Kurds historically lived in the area Greek sources defined as Armenia; thus Greek Armen could be a rendering of local Khormen. Note that modern Armenians' name for themselves has historically been Haiq.

The Magi Theory

Other scholars dismiss the above theories as false. These scholars claim the term Kurmanji originates from the two distinct words, kur (“boy” or “child”) and magi. Magi refers to one of the ancient tribes of the Median Empire whose priests are referenced in the Bible and are commonly known as the Three Wise Men from Medya. The direct translation applied to the term Kurên Magî is “Children of Magi”. Scholars say that Manji is simply a distorted form of the original term. These scholars also claim that the Magi tribe, or followers of the priests that were referred to as “Magi of the people”, may have been the original speakers of Proto-Kurdish.

References

• Ethnologue

See also

• Kurmancî, a Kurdish linguistic magazine
• Northern Kurmanji
• Central Kurdish
• Southern Kurdish
• Laki language
• Pehlewani
• Kurdish language

External links

• Kurdish Institute Kurdish language, history, books and latest news articles.