Kurdish Reader
Khanna Omarkhali
Harrassowitz
The Kurdish Reader comprises an exciting collection of texts in Kurmanji, the northern dialect of the Kurdish language. It is designed to help students with a basic knowledge of the Kurdish language to enhance their fluency by studying a variety of texts ranging from literary and folklore to non-narrative prose works. The first part of the book focuses on the literary works, both prose and verse, from all parts of the Kurmanji speaking countries. Many of the texts were produced in Armenia where the dialect evolved its written tradition. This is the first collection incorporating material from this important literary and cultural heritage. As the first part of the book presents the development of written tradition, part two introduces the reader to a range of variants of Kurmanji from Turkey, Armenia, Russia, Syria, Iraqi Kurdistan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenia, and Khorasan, each conveying the richness of their forms. This part of the Reader is of interest for Kurdish Oral History Studies too for it consists of various recordings of historical information, based on the personal experience of the speakers. The Reader contains two Kurdish — English glossaries and a grammar section. This constitutes a comprehensive outline of the subjects under study along with a fundamental description of the cornerstones of Kurmanji grammatical categories, and explanations of the main discrepancies between the local Kurmanji variants and the literary language with examples taken from the selections. Additionally, the book offers English translations of selected texts with an English—Kurdish dictionary of linguistic terms.
Contents
List of Tables / IX
Abbreviations / XI
Acknowledgements / XIII
Preface to the Reader by Amir Hassanpour / 1
Introduction / 21
The Kurdish Alphabet / 35
Part one: Modern literature in Kurmanji
Lesson I / 39
Firîda Hecî Cewarî. Heciyê Cindî. Jiyan û Kar - Ehmedê Xanî. Mem û Zîn. Bi kurdiya îro: Jan Dost - Heciyê Cindî - Part I: Tosinê Reşîd - Part II: Eskerê Boyîk - Proverbs
Lesson II / 47
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Mîrê Piçûk - Siyabend û Xecê - Şikoyê Hesen. Ez û Baran - Qanatê Kurdo. Gramera Zimanê Kurdî (kurmancî-soranî) - Proverbs
Lesson III / 54
Mehmed Uzun. Siya Evînê. Part I, II - Memê û Eyşê - Tiştine kevin lê herdem teze û hêja: Entîgonas - Qanatê Kurdo. Tarîxa edebiyeta Kurdî. (Ahmedê Xanî) - Proverbs
Lesson IV / 62
Erebê Şemo. Şivanê Kurd (translation) - Hafiz. Nepirse - Erebê Şemo. Berbang Part I, II (original) - Proverbs
Lesson V / 67
Nuredîn Zaza. Bîranîn (Şam-Bêrût) - Maxim Gorky. Kilam derheqa teyrê baz da - Heinrich Heine. Tragêdiya - Wezîrê Eşo. Dîroka Kurdên Sovyeta Kevin - Proverbs
Lesson VI / 74
Mehmed Uzun. Hawara Dîcleyê. Part I, II - Kemal Burkay. Serokzindan û Hozan - Ordîxan û Celîlê Celîl. Zargotina Kurda. Part I, II - Proverbs
Lesson VII / 79
Sehîdê Îbo. Kurdê Rêwî - Cegerxwîn. Agirî Evîndarî - Tiştine kevin lê herdem teze û hêja: Sokrat - Eskerê Boyîk. Emînê Evdal (1906-1964) - Proverbs
Lesson VIII / 86
Eskerê Boyîk. Ewir û Çiya - Mikhail Lermontov. Msîrî. Part I-IV- Kemal Mezher. Şerefname di Kurdnasiya Sovyetê de - Proverbs
Kurdish — English Glossary / 97
Part two: oral texts in Kurmanji
I Text in Kurmanji Written Down from the Kurd from Turkey / 133
(Jiyana min li Sêrtê û Batman)
II Texts in Kurmanji Written Down in Armenia and Russia / 134
(Jiyana Koçberiyê - Êzdî û File - Dewat - Şîn - Rev. Part I. - Rev. Part II)
III Texts in Kurmanji Written Down from the Kurd from Syria / 142
(Jiyana me li Sûriyê. Part I. Gundê me - Jiyana me li Sûriyê. Part II. Emrê min)
IV Texts in Kurmanji Written Down in Iraqi Kurdistan / 144
The Shingal (Sinjar) region / 144
(Rê û Rismê Dewatê li Şingalê - Êzdiyên Şingalê. Part I. - Êzdiyên Şingalê. Part II)
The Til Kêf (Tel Keppe) region / 147
(Gundê Xetarê û Mîrê Kor - Ruh û Qalibê Adem)
The Zakho district (Bajêrê me Zaxo) / 149
Duhok (Bajarê Dihokê) / 150
V Texts in Kurmanji Written Down in Azerbaijan / 151
The Kalbajar region (Lawkêne min- Qiştaxa me) / 151
The Lachin region (Tiye me - Jinîde me) / 153
VI Texts in Kurmanji Written Down in Turkmenia / 155
The Ashgabat region (Umrî min - Ez we x°e) / 155
VII Texts in Kurmanji Written Down in Khorasan / 157
(Kormanc we mektew - Ezê dax im, daxê to me - Gulgerdîno - Ez ki terem, to demînî - Xewa min tê, radekevim)
Kurdish—English Glossary / 159
A grammatical sketch of kurmanji
1 Phonology / 195
1.1 Kurdish Alphabet (Vowels - Consonants) / 195
1.2 Stresses in Kurmanji (Stresses - Not stressed) / 197
2 Morphology / 198
2.1 Nouns (Definition - Number - Gender - Cases - Izafe) / 198
2.2 Adjectives (Comparative - Superlative) / 206
2.3 Pronouns / 206
(Personal pronouns - Demonstrative Pronouns - The Reflexive Pronoun xwe - Basic interrogatives and indefinite determiners)
2.4 Numerals (Cardinals - Ordinals) / 209
2.5 Verbs (Personal endings — Causative — Mood — Tenses — Voice) / 209
2.6 Auxiliary verbs (Possession) / 220
2.7 Adpositions (Prepositions — Ambipositions) / 221
3 Word Formation / 223
3.1 Some Useful Derivational Suffixes / 223
(-van, -dar, -kar, -mend, -ç0 , -ik, -stan, -dan/-dang, -tî/-î/-an? , -î/-ayî, -î/-vanî)
4 Clause Structure / 225
4.1 Simple sentences and sentence types / 225
(Declarative sentence — Interrogative sentences)
4.2 Complex sentences / 225
Excursus I: Verbs Used in the Part I / 227
Excursus II: Some Remarks on the Main Differences of the Local
Kurmanji Variants from the Literary Language / 239
1 Armenia / 239
2 Syria / 242
3 Iraqi Kurdistan / 242
4 Azerbaijan / 245
5 Turkmenia and Khorasan / 249
Appendix
English Translation of Selected Texts / 255
Part One: Modern Literature in Kurmanji / 255
Lesson I. Text 2. Mem and Zîn. Ehmedê Khanî — Lesson II. Text 1. The Little Prince. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry — Lesson III. Text 3. Antigonus — Lesson IV. Text 2. Don't Ask. Hafiz — Lesson V. Text 1. The song of the falcon. Maksim Gorky — Lesson VI. Text 1. Cry of the Tigris. Mehmed Uzun. Part I. — Lesson VII. Text 3. Socrates — Lesson VIII. Text 1. The cloud and the mountain. Eskerê Boyîk
Part Two: Oral Texts in Kurmanji / 263
From Armenia and Russia: Text 2. Yezidis and Armenians — From Syria: Text 2. Our life in Syria. Part II. My life — From Turkey: Text 1. My life in Siirt and Batman — From Iraq: Text 5. Spirit and the body of Adam — From Azerbaijan, Kalbajar: Text 1. My sons — From Azerbaijan, Lachin: Text 3. Our village — From Turkmenia: Text 1. My life — From Khorasan: Text 1. Kurds and schools
Sources of Given Kurdish Texts / 269
Recommended Literature / 273
English—Kurdish Dictionary of Linguistic Terms / 275
Grammatical Index / 280
List of Tables
Table 1 Short vowels
Table 2 Long vowels
Table 3 Consonants
Table 4 Synopsis of states and cases of the feminine noun
Table 5 Synopsis of states and cases of the masculine noun
Table 6 Synopsis of noun states and cases by K. K. Kurdoev
Table 7 Personal pronouns in the direct case
Table 8 Possessive forms of the personal pronouns
Table 9 Demonstrative pronouns in the direct case
Table 10 Cardinal numbers
Table 11 Present copulas
Table 12 Optative: Present
Table 13 Optative: Past Simple
Table 14 Optative: Past Perfect
Table 15 The Present Tense. Verb dîtin 'to see'
Table 16 The Present Tense. Prefixed verb vekirin 'to open'
Table 17 The Future Tense. Verb dîtin 'to see'
(-bin- with the final consonant)
Table 18 The Future Tense. Verb jiyan 'to live' (-jî- with the final vowel)
Table 19 The Simple Past Tense. Intransitive verb hatin 'to come'
Table 20 The Simple Past Tense. Transitive verb dîtin 'to see'
(without object)
Table 21 The Simple Past Tense. Transitive prefixed verb vekirin 'to open'
(without object)
Table 22 The Simple Past Tense. Transitive verb dîtin 'to see'
(with object)
Table 23 The Past Progressive Tense. Intransitive verb ha tin 'to come'
Table 24 The Past Progressive Tense. Transitive verb dîtin 'to see'
(without object)
Table 25 The Past Progressive Tense. Transitive prefixed verb vekirin
'to open' (without object)
Table 26 The Past Progressive Tense. Transitive verb dîtin 'to see'
(with object)
Table 27 The Present Perfect Tense. Intransitive verb hatin 'to come'
Table 28 The Present Perfect Tense. Intransitive verb On 'to go'
Table 29 The Present Perfect Tense. Transitive prefixed verb vekirin
'to open' (without object)
Table 30 The Present Perfect Tense. Transitive verb dîtin 'to see'
(with object)
Table 31 The Past Perfect Tense. Intransitive verb hatin 'to come'
Table 32 The Past Perfect Tense. Transitive prefixed verb vekirin
'to open' (without object)
Table 33 The Past Perfect Tense. Transitive verb dîtin `to see' (with object)
Table 34 Conjugation of the verb hatin 'to come' in the Present Tense
Table 35 Conjugation of the verb hatin `to come' in the negative form
Table 36 Regular verbs
Table 37 Irregular verbs
Table 38 Prefixed and compound verbs
Table 39 Cardinal numbers in KA
Table 40 Present copulas in KIK
Table 41 Personal pronouns in the direct case in KAZ
Acknowledgments
I would like to use this opportunity to express my gratitude to Prof. Amir Hassanpour for writing the Preface for the reader. I have also benefited from the help of colleagues and friends for advice about content and structure dur-ing my work on the book. I am indebted to Dr. Pavel Basharin who kindly read the grammar outline and offered valuable comments. My deepest ex-pression of appreciation goes to Mrs. Lynne Colley (Shina) M. A. for her valuable advice and help with the English language.
Most of all, I would like to express my deepest thanks to my parents Zina and Riza Usoyan for their moral support and all the people who inspired me to publish this book.
Göttingen, Spring 2011
Khanna Omarkhali (Usoyan)
PREFACE TO THE READER BY AMIR HASSANPOUR
This is an exciting collection of texts in Kurmanji, the main dialect of the Kurdish language. It is designed to help students with a basic knowledge of the language to enhance their fluency through the study of a variety of texts ranging from literary and folklore to non-narrative prose works. My goal in this preface is to place the readings in the context of the troubled history of the language, to map the place of Kurdish in the emerging world linguistic order, and to draw the contours of Kurmanji in the sociolinguistic chart of Kurdish dialects.
The Kurdish Language
In terms of the number of speakers, Kurdish ranks fortieth among the world's 6,600 to 7,000 languages.' The numerical strength of the language has, however, been undermined by the division of its speech area and speakers among five neighbouring countries of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Armenia, and the adoption, by these nation-states, of policies ranging from linguicide (Turkey 1925-1991, Iran, 1920s-1941, Syria since the mid-1960s) to tolerance (Syria in the mid-1930s and WWII to 1958) and officialization on the local level (USSR and Iraq). In this changing geopolitical environment, Kurdish is now one of the two official languages of Iraq while it is denied many rights including native-tongue education in all neighbouring countries.
Although writing, in its alphabetic forms, dates back to seven millennia ago, the majority of the languages of the world have, until quite recently, remained unwritten. At the same time, languages are extremely unequal in terms of the scope of writing and literary traditions. Although the physical landscape of Kurdistan is decorated with inscriptions in extinct ancient languages and scripts, writing in Kurdish has a more recent beginning in the sixteenth century when two dialects, Kurmanji and Hewrami, began a literary tradition, predominantly in poetic form. Later in the early nineteenth century, another dialect, named Sorani since the 1960s, developed its written tradition, followed by occasional writing in other dialects.
The three literary traditions were poetic with only a few prose works, which were mostly non-narrative. This literary spark, much like that in Azeri, Pashtu or Baluchi languages, was overshadowed by the brilliant and rich literary traditions of Arabic and Persian, the dominant classical languages ...
Khanna Omarkhali
Kurdish Reader
Modern Literature and Oral Texts in Kurmanji
Harrassowitz
Harrassowitz Verlag
Kurdish Reader
Modern Literature and Oral Texts in Kurmanji
With Kurdish—English Glossaries and Grammatical Sketch
Khanna Omarkhali
2011
Harrassowitz Verlag
Wiesbaden
Cover photograph: Geliyê Eli Beg, Iraqi Kurdistan, by Gharani Ghaderi
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ISBN 978-3-447-06527-6
