17 Facts About Kurdish language

The main three dialects or languages of Kurdish are Northern Kurdish, Central Kurdish, and Southern Kurdish.

Classification of Laki as a dialect of Southern Kurdish or as a fourth language under Kurdish is a matter of debate, but the differences between Laki and other Southern Kurdish dialects are minimal.

Literary output in Kurdish language was mostly confined to poetry until the early 20th century, when more general literature became developed.

Ludwig Paul concludes that Kurdish seems to be a Northwestern Iranian language in origin, but acknowledges that it shares many traits with Southwestern Iranian languages like Persian, apparently due to longstanding and intense historical contacts.

Windfuhr and Frye assume an eastern origin for Kurdish language and consider it as related to eastern and central Iranian dialects.

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Present state of knowledge about Kurdish language allows, at least roughly, drawing the approximate borders of the areas where the main ethnic core of the speakers of the contemporary Kurdish language dialects was formed.

Kurdish language is divided into three or four groups, where dialects from different groups are not mutually intelligible without acquired bilingualism.

Reasons for describing Kurmanji and Sorani as 'dialects' of one Kurdish language are their common origin and the fact that this usage reflects the sense of ethnic identity and unity among the Kurds.

The Zaza Kurdish language, spoken mainly in Turkey, differs both grammatically and in vocabulary and is generally not understandable by Gorani speakers but it is considered related to Gorani.

Kurdish language translated both from Kurdish into Arabic in the early 9th century AD.

The Kurdish language was banned in a large portion of Kurdistan for some time.

In Syria, on the other hand, publishing materials in Kurdish language is forbidden, though this prohibition is not enforced any more due to the Syrian civil war.

The Kurdish language alphabet is not recognized in Turkey, and prior to 2013 the use of Kurdish language names containing the letters X, W, and Q, which do not exist in the Turkish alphabet, was not allowed.

Previously, Kurdish language education had only been possible in private institutions.

Kurdish language has been written using four different writing systems.

Kurdish language was written in the Arabic script in Turkey and Syria until 1932.

Kurdish language has even been written in the Armenian alphabet in Soviet Armenia and in the Ottoman Empire.