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A practical Kurdish grammar


Author : L. O. Fossum
Editor : ISELOMS Date & Place : 1919, Minneapolis
Preface : L. O. FossumPages : 280
Traduction : ISBN :
Language : EnglishFormat : 135x195 mm
FIKP's Code : Lp. Ang. Ku. 320Theme : Linguistics

A practical Kurdish grammar

A practical Kurdish grammar

L. O. Fossum

I. S. E. L. O. M. S.

Chapter I

The Kurdish alphabet

I. There are thirty-two letters in the Kurdish alphabet. Four of these, namely گ (Gaf), ژ (Zha), چ (Chim), and پ (Pa), are strictly Persian letters, and the other twenty-eight have been borrowed from the Arabic.

2. Form of letters

Name - Unconnected characters - Joined to Letters – Pronunciation and transcription

Final – Medial – Initial

.....


Table of contents

Introductory remarks / 7-11

Chapter I. - The Kurdish alphabet
Form of Letters / 13
Phonetic values of the letters /15
Consonants / 19
Vowels / 21
Vowel changes / 23
Diphthongs / 26
Accent / 28
Punctuation / 29

Chapter II. - Nouns
Gender / 29
Number / 31
Articles / 32
Declension / 37
Table of declension / 46
Exercise I. / 50

Chapter III. - Adjectives
Position / 51
Comparison / 52
Exercise II. / 53
Numeral adjectives / 53
Cardinals / 53
Ordinals / 56
Fractionals / 57
Multiples / 58
Distributives / 60
Exercise III. / 61

Chapter IV. - Pronouns
Separate personal pronouns / 61
Declension of the separate personal pronouns / 61
Separate possessive pronouns / 64
Suffix pronouns / 64
Declension of a noun with a pronominal suffix / 65
Reflexive pronouns / 66
Declension of a reflexive pronoun / 66
Demonstrative pronouns / 69
Declension of the demonstra tive pronouns / 70
Interrogative pronouns / 70
Declension of the interrogative pronouns / 71
The interrogative pronoun (kieha) with pronominal suffixes / 71
Relative pronouns / 72
Indefinite pronouns / 74
Exercise / 77

Chapter V. - Verbs
The 'Stems' of the Kurdish verbs / 78
Prefixes and suffixes / 79
The personal endings / 81
The negative and prohibitive particles / 84
The tenses of the verb / 86
The Moods of the Verbs / 87
The accent of the verb / 88
Conjugations / 88
The first conjugation / 88
Conjugation of the 'regular intransitive verb' (tirsan) / 89
Exercise V. / 105
Synopsis of an 'irregular intransitive verb' (hatin) / 106
Exercise VI. / 110
Conjugation of the 'irregular intransitive auxiliary verb (bun) 'to be' / 111
A list of intransitive verbs 128
The causal form of the verb / 136
The second conjugation / 137
Conjugation of the 'Regular transitive verb' (khwendin) / 137
Synopsis of an 'irregular transitive verb' (kutin) / 143
The passive voice / 146
A synopsis of the conjugation of a passive verb / 148
A list of transitive verbs / 151
Irregularity of the verb (wistin) / 167
The Impersonal 'must' / 167
Compound verbs / 92
Model of the conjugation of a compound active verb / 169
Model of the conjugation of a compound passive verb / 172
A list of compound verbs / 176
Conjugation of the verb 'to have' / 186

Chapter VI. - Adverbs
Adverbs of manner and quality / 198
Adverbs of number / 199
Adverbs of place and order / 200
Adverbs of time / 203
Adverbs of interrogation / 207
Adverbs of affirmation / 207
Declarative adverbs / 208
Negative adverbs / 208
Miscellaneous adverbs / 208

Chapter VII. - Prepositions
Prepositions that take post positions / 209
Prepositions that are some times joined to the follow ing words / 209
Prepositions that are written separately / 210
Prepositional suffixes / 211

Chapter VIII. - Conjunctions
Copulative conjunctions / 212
Disjunctive conjunctions / 212
Adversative conjunctions / 212
Conditional conjunctions / 213
Causal conjunctions / 213
Conclusive conjunctions / 213

Chapter IX. - Interjections (214-215)

Chapter X. - Formation of Kurdish words
Nouns / 215
Diminutive nouns / 218
Adjectives / 219

Chapter XI. - Kurdish compound words
Words formed of an adjective and a noun / 221
Words formed of a participle and a noun / 222
Words formed of two nouns / 222
Words formed of an adjective and a verbal noun / 223
Words formed of a numeral adjective and a noun / 223
Words formed of a noun and a verbal noun / 224
Words formed by the use of particles / 224
Words formed by repeating the noun / 225
Words Designating relationship / 225

Chapter XII. - Kurdish orthography (226-228)

Chapter XIII. - Miscellaneous
Designation of years / 228
Designation of seasons / 229
Names of the months of the year / 229
Names of the days in the Week / 229
Names of days, present, past, and future / 230
Various periods of day and night / 230
Divisions of time / 231
The human body / 232

Chapter XIV.—Syntax (233-249)
Poetry / 249-253
Short stories / 253-259
Gospel of St. John 1:1-28 / 259-261
Vocabulary / 262-279


INTRODUCTORY REMARKS

The Kurdish people have a very ancient history. Their existence and movements in the Zagros, Niphates, and upper Tigris - Euphrates regions, can be traced back to the early Assyrian period. It is claimed by many learned men, that there is a strong historic connection between the conquered Chaldeans and the Kurds, and that one or other of the Assyrian Dynasties and their successors were of Kurdish origin. Others claim that the Kurds belong to the great Medo - Persian group. Be that as it may, we know for a certainty that the Kurdish nation has produced a Saladin, a Nadir - Schah, a Kerim Khan (t1779), and many other eminent figures.

The Kurdish language embraces several dialects spoken in large districts of eastern Turkey, western Persia, and in the Persian province of Khorazan. To define this territory more accurately, we may mention the Turkish provinces of Erzeroum, Bitlis, Diarbekr, Mamuret-el-Aziz, Van and Mosul, and the Persian provinces of Azerbijan, Ardelen, and Luristan. And besides these, the Kurdish Colonies in Khorazan, which Schah Abbas I (1587-1628) transferred from the Turco - Persian frontier to serve as a buffer state against the Turcomans.

Just as the learned historians disagree as to the sources of ancient Kurdish ancestry, so the linguists also disagree as to the ancient source and mother of the Kurdish tongue. Some claim with considerable certainty that it springs from the Pehlewi language, others remotely link it to the Chaldean group, in the way that Armenian is linked to the Persian. Rawlinson opposes the former opinion in the following words: "These dialects of the Mountaineers of Zagros have been hitherto assumed by all writers as remnants of the ancient Pehlewi, but it appears to me on insufficient grounds: I regard them as derived from the old Farsi, the Farsi - Kadim, as it is called." Some claim that it is derived from the old Median language, others claim that Kurdish is one of the Modern Iranian languages, a sister language of Modern Persian, containing a considerable element directly borrowed from the latter, while others again make it simply a derivative of the New - Persian.

From whatever language it may have derived, it has certainly in many respects, undergone an individual and peculiar development of its own. For, as true as it is that it has a great many words directly borrowed or developed from the Persian, Arabic, Turkish, and other neighboring languages, so true it is also, that it has a great many words that are not to be found in any other tongue.

It is to be feared that too much has been made of the New - Persian as its mother. The reason for this tendency has been the fact that most writers who have made a study of the Kurdish language, have done so through Persian glasses, and have ridden the Persian 'pony' as the 'key' to every root and form.

It is well known that the Kurdish language embraces several dialects which differ as you approach the borders of the various tribal districts. Nearly all of these dialects, or groups of dialects, have been treated by eminent European linguists, and from the conclusion that these men have come to, as well as by a thorough study of their treatises, it does not at all seem impossible to bring these dialects together on a wider basis, so as to use one language for several groups of dialects.

The Pioneer Kurdish Grammarian was P. M. Garzoni, who spent nearly twenty years as a Missionary at Amadia, northeast of Mosul. His Grammar was printed in Rome, year 1779. Fortunately this first treatise on the Kurdish language was written at Amadia, within the borders of that district where, as was discovered later on, some of the best Kurdish dialects are spoken.

Since the time of Garzoni, some very able treatises on the same dialects of Amadia, and the dialects farther north, have been written by Justi, Lerch, and Rhea. We also have a splendid treatise on the dialects of the Bebeh Kurds around Suleimania by Chodsko; and another treatise on the dialects of the Mosul district, and of the Kurdish Colonists in Khorazan, by Prof. Beresin. Some years ago an Outline (Schitze) of the dialects of East-Central Kurdistan was written by Oscar Mann. And only a few years ago a very able treatise on the Kurdish language was written by E. B. Soane.

To discover the best Kurdish among these many dialects is not an easy task. Lerch states that it is useless to ask the Kurds as to which dialect is the best, for every Kurd claims that his own dialect is the purest and best. The linguists themselves have a tendency to give the same kind of an answer: The dialect they study the most becomes the purest and best 'for them.'

Prof. Beresin claims that the purest and best Kurdish is spoken in the district east of Mosul. Ker Porter comes very near to the same opinion when he claims that the Ravandoos group of dialects is one of the purest and best. Lerch, in comparing his Kermanji with other dialects, says: "I have found that the Kermanji that I have learned agrees very much with that of Garzoni and Beresin." And in speaking of the dialects still farther south, he says: "The Kurdish language of Suleimania also, according to the words collected by Rich, belongs to the Kermanji." By these two statements, Lerch has practically linked together all the dialects of West - Central Kurdistan, from Hakkari to Suleimania, into one large group which he calls 'Kermanji.'

As to the dialects spoken in East-Central Kurdistan, beginning with the districts north and west of Urmia, and going south through Ushno, Soujbulak, Sardesht, and Sakis, to the districts of Senna, it is interesting to hear what Missionary Hornli has to say. He visited those parts in 1835, and employed as teachers, two Somai Kurds who also knew the Hakkari dialect, one Bradost Kurd who also knew the Schikak dialect, and one Mukri Kurd. Besides these his private servant was a Soar Kurd from Mardin.

From the comparative study of these dialects, and from his attempt to translate the Gospel of St. John into Mukri Kurdish so as to be serviceable to them all, Missionary Hornli made the following discovery: "I found to my great joy, that the Kurds of these tribes understood each other quite well, and understood what I read to them in the Mukri dialect." And in speaking of the near relationship of the Somai, Bradost, Schikak, and Mukri dialects, he concludes in these words: "Ihre zusammenfassung unter einen gemeinschaftlichen Dialekt scheint mir nicht unmöglich." He further claims that the entire series of Kurdish dialects could be collected into two large groups, one for the North, and one for the South. In this statement, however, he undoubtedly overlooked the difficulty connected with the Zaza group of dialects in the extreme North. But even of these Zaza Kurds, Lerch, the greatest authority on that group of dialects, says: "In general the Zaza Kurds also understand the Kermanji."

As a conclusion, we seem to be justified in making the assertion, that for linguistic purposes, we may collect all the Kurdish dialects into three large groups, covering the three large districts of North, Central, and South Kurdistan. In North Kurdistan we have the Zaza group, in Central Kurdistan we have the Kermanji group, and in South Kurdistan we have the Lur and Kelhur group.

As to which of these three groups represents the purest and best Kurdish, we would join with Garzoni, Lerch, Rhea, Chodsko, Beresin, Hornli, and Parter in referring to Central Kurdistan, and more particularly to the group of dialects spoken by the noble Bebeh tribes in the districts of Suleimania. Among this group of tribes we find the best Kurdish literature in the form of history, legends, poetry, and prose.

In speaking of the Mukri tribe, which inhabits Persian territory south of Lake Urmia, Mr. E. B. Soane, in his book, "To Mesopotamia and Kurdistan in Disguise" says: "They speak the Kurdish language in all its purity of accent and grammatical form. Their dialect is the most ancient of all, and while its antiquity is probably not greater than that of its neighbors, its excellent preservation of ancient forms gives it a claim to be considered the standard by which to compare other dialects."

Much time has been spent on the preparation of this Grammar; but it has not been subjected to so thorough a revision as I should have liked. My design has been to discover the best Kurdish in the dialects of Central Kurdistan, particularly in the Somai – Soujbulak - Suleimania Groups, and to put it into as clear and simple a system as possible, so that others, like myself, may learn some practical Kurdish and labor for the social, moral, and spiritual uplift of the Kurds.

Hoping that this book will be of some use, I submit it to the favorable consideration of the public.

L. O. FOSSUM

Soujbulak, Kurdistan, Persia, 1916

Sincere gratitude is expressed to the following educators and linguists, for examining the manuscript of this book, and for their corrections, suggestions, and encouraging remarks:

Prof. A. V. W. Jackson, Ph. D., L. L. D., and Prof. A. Johannan, Ph. D., both of Columbia University, New York City; Prof. Carl D. Buck, Ph. D., University of Chicago; Prof. F. Klaeber, Ph. D., University of Minnesota; Prof. M. Reu, D. D., Wartbury Seminary, Iowa; Prof. O. G. Felland, M. A., St. Olaf College, Minn.; Prof. Martin Hegland, Ph. D., Waldorf College, Iowa, and Rev. A. H. Gjevre, M. A., Minneapolis, Minn.

L. O. F.


L. O. Fossum

A Practical Kurdish Grammar

I. S. E. L. O. M. S.


Inter - Synodical Ev. Lutheran Orient-Mission Society
A Practical Kurdish Grammar
With English Phonetic Pronunciation
Exercises for translation into Kurdish
Short stories illustrating Kurdish
Composition and Syntax and

Vocabulary

L. O. Fossum, Ph. D.
American Missionary

Translator of vogt's Bible History, Luther's Catechism and Sverdrup’s explanation into Modern Syriac, and the New Testement and Luther's Catechism into Kurdish.

Author of a Hymn Book, and editor of a monthly newspaper, also in the Kurdish language.

Published by the Inter - Synodical Ev. Lutheran Orient - Mission Society

1919
 
Printed by Augsburg Publishing House
Minneapolis. Minn.



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