14183
Seminar
Northern Kurdish I (Kurmanci)
Khanna Usoyan
Comments
Kurmanji, the most widely spoken Kurdish dialect, belongs to the northwestern Iranian branch of the Indo-European family. It is the primary language of Kurds in Turkey, Syria, northern Iraq, Iran’s Khorasan region, the Caucasus, and diaspora communities worldwide. Despite its broad use, Kurmanji faces challenges in standardization due to historical political constraints and limited institutional support. This course provides a foundational study of modern Kurmanji. Students will master the Latin-based alphabet (developed by Celadet Bedirxan in Hawar), essential grammar, and practical communication skills. Designed for Master’s students with no prior experience, the seminar combines structured lessons with interactive practice to build reading, writing, and conversational proficiency – equipping learners for further linguistic or regional studies. close
Suggested reading
Bedir Khan, E.D. und Lescot. R., Kurdische Grammatik. Kurmancî-Dialekt, Bonn, 1986; Chyet, M., Kurdish-English Dictionary, New Haven and London, 2003; Chyet, M., Em hînî Kurmancî dibin [We learn Kurmanji], unpubl., last update 1999; Incekan, A., Kurdisch Kompakt Lehr- und Übungsbuch mit Lösungsschlüssel und CD, Wiesbaden, 2010; Omarkhali, Kh., Kurdish Reader. Modern Literature and Oral Texts in Kurmanji. With Kurdish-English Glossaries and Grammatical Sketch, Wiesbaden, 2011; Rizgar, B., Kurdish-English, English-Kurdish (kurmancî) dictionary, London, 1993; Thackston, W.M., Kurmanji Kurdish. A Reference Grammar with Selected Readings; Wurzel, P., Rojbas. Einführung in die kurdische Sprache, Wiesbaden, 1997. close
16 Class schedule
Regular appointments
Thu, 2025-10-16 10:00 - 12:00
Thu, 2025-10-23 10:00 - 12:00
Thu, 2025-10-30 10:00 - 12:00
Thu, 2025-11-06 10:00 - 12:00
Thu, 2025-11-13 10:00 - 12:00
Thu, 2025-11-20 10:00 - 12:00
Thu, 2025-11-27 10:00 - 12:00
Thu, 2025-12-04 10:00 - 12:00
Thu, 2025-12-11 10:00 - 12:00
Thu, 2025-12-18 10:00 - 12:00
Thu, 2026-01-08 10:00 - 12:00
Thu, 2026-01-15 10:00 - 12:00
Thu, 2026-01-22 10:00 - 12:00
Thu, 2026-01-29 10:00 - 12:00
Thu, 2026-02-05 10:00 - 12:00
Thu, 2026-02-12 10:00 - 12:00