The description of Kurdish phonology given below is based on Central Kurdish considered to be the standard. Central Kurdish has ten vowel phonemes, i. They are given below. Some vowels can be short or long. Vowel length makes a difference in word meaning.
In the table below, vowel length is represented by a macron. Long vowels are represented by a circumflex accent, i. Below is a chart of the consonant phonemes of Central Kurdish. Phonemes are sounds that differentiate word meaning. Phonemes given in parentheses occur only in loanwords. Like other Iranian languages, Kurdish is an inflected language, i. Kurdish verbs agree with their subjects in person and number. They have the following major characteristics:.
Kurdish shares most of its vocabulary with other Indo-Iranian languages. However, because Kurdish is spoken in many countries, in each of these countries its speakers have experienced different linguistic and cultural influences. For instance, Iraqi and Syrian Kurds, brought up in an Arabic educational system, have adopted a significant number of Arabic words. Kurds in Turkey have borrowed words from Turkish ; Kurds in Iran have assimilated Persian vocabulary; and Kurds in Armenia have borrowed words from Armenian and Russian.
Most recently, English has become a source of borrowing, mainly in the areas of science, technology, politics, and the military. Below are some basic Kurdish words and phrases. A circumflex accent represents vowel length, the letter c represents the sound [ch] as in chap. For much of their history, the Kurdish literature was written in Arabic, Persian or Turkish, although Kurdish, written in the Perso-Arabic script, began to appear in writing in the 7th century AD.
At present, Kurdish is written in three different writing systems:. Attempts are presently being made to create a standardized Unified Kurdish alphabet with a one-to-one correspondence between letters and phonemes, i. However, implementing a standardized literary language and orthography is a daunting task for a language spoken in so many different countries. A Kurdish word is often used in international news and is rapidly becoming familiar to most Americans.
Toggle navigation. Listen » Kurdish vowels and how they are represented in the Unified Kurdish Alphabet. Postalveolar palatal. Language Difficulty. How difficult is it to learn Kurdish? Kurdish is considered to be a Category II language in terms of difficulty for speakers of English. Languages A-Z. Select Language. Tibetic Languages. Tok Pisin. Arabic Egyptian Spoken.
Arabic Levantine. Arabic Modern Standard. Arabic Moroccan Spoken. Arabic Overview. Kurds make up the majority of the population in these areas that are divided between Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and a few smaller countries.
Kurdistan can also refer to the autonomous republic in Iraq. Although Kurds share the same ethnic identity, the languages they speak, though closely related, are not mutually intelligible. Kurmanji Kurdish is typically written using an adapted Latin-based script not dissimilar to the Turkish alphabet. The Kurdish Academy of Language KAL believes that a unified Kurdistan can exist only in the context of a unified Kurdish language and that a unified writing system is its prerequisite.
For this reason, Kurdish linguists have created a new alphabet called Yekgirtu which means unified. It is a slight variation of the Latin-based script typically used for Kurmanji, though its adjustments are aimed to simplify and better accommodate the phonology of all Kurdish dialects. It was even proposed that Central Kurdish be the official language of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq, something which was met with great resistance from Kurmanji speakers.
Kurmanji, or Northern Kurdish, is more widely spoken but may be less standardized. It is also the ceremonial language of Yazidism, a religion practiced by Kurds, especially in Iraq. However, recent events have led to a mass exodus of Yazidis. Kurdish grammar has many unusual features. Kurmanji, for instance, is an SOV language. This acronym refers to sentence order, meaning that in Kurmanji the subject of a sentence is immediately followed by an object and then the verb.
An always friendly smiling worker greets commuters. Posters at the Chongsan-Ri Cooperative Farm. More Photos See more. Facebook Young Pioneer Tours. Coup in Sudan — Travel Update — Travel corridor between Cambodia and Thailand to open.
Browse through our extensive North Korean group tour schedule to find a group tour that best suits you and your budget. Got extra time before or after your North Korean group tour? Then why not join our tour extensions in North Korea or China? Check out our great links, or get in touch and let us plan your extension for you.
Our tours are very flexible in terms of itinerary, interests and we can cater to your budget too! Have a question about travelling to North Korea? You'll most likely find it here. Feel free to get in contact with us if you have anymore enquiries. Young Pioneer Tours are the leading budget adventure travel company to off the wall, and off the beaten track destinations.
Check out our International Group Tours and book your next adventure of a lifetime. Join Young Pioneer Tours on one of our signature African adventures in Eritrea, Somaliland, or Socotra with new destinations being added all the time , or let us plan an independent trip for you.
0コメント