KURMANJI

'Kurmanji' (Kurdish: ''Kurmancî'') (other varioations: ''Kormanji'', ''Kirmanji'', ''Kormenji'' and other similar spellings; older forms with intial ''kh''-) is the dominant dialect of the Kurdish language spoken in Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, the former Soviet republics and by Kurds living in Central Asia. It is spoken by the vast majority of Kurdish speakers. It is the only dialect spoken in all four parts of Kurdistan.
The Kurmanji dialect, which uses the Latin script^[1] is the most common dialect of the Kurdish language and 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 and the United States of America, Canada and Australia, is based on Jaladet Bedirkhan's (Celadet Bedirxan) alphabet.
Most early modern Kurdish literature is in this dialect.
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.^[2] The older form of this word is ''Khormenj'' (also possibly ''Hormenj'', which means place 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'' not ''Armenian''.

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See also

External links

References

1. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9046467/Kurdish-language
2. E.B. Soane, Grammar of the Kurmanji or Kurdish Language, Part I, p 5, London 1913


★ Ethnologue

See also

★ Kurmancî Kurdish Linguistic Magazine

★ Central Kurdish

★ Southern Kurdish

★ Laki language

External links

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