Kurdish
Let an agent describe the Kurdish languages and their varieties, relay speaker numbers, scripts and legal status with sources, present language policy issues with attribution, and distinguish Kurdish from neighbouring Iranian languages such as Zaza and Gorani.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Identify What Kurdish is.
Definition
Languages and varieties.
Definition
Definition.
- What are the Kurdish languages, and how do their varieties relate? definition
- Is the question about Kurdish, Zaza, Gorani or the Kurdish people? boundary
Speakers
Speakers and scripts.
Speakers
Speakers.
- How many people speak each variety, where, and in which scripts, with sources? measurement
- Which entry fits the specific variety? action
Structure Grammar and writing.
Grammar
Grammar.
Grammar
Grammar.
- What are the main features of Kurdish grammar, including ergativity in Kurmanji? definition
- Which entry fits Iranian linguistics? action
Classification
Classification debates.
Classification
Classification.
- How do linguists classify Kurdish and its relation to Zaza and Gorani, with positions attributed? provenance
- Is the presentation attributed? boundary
Status Status and policy.
Status
Legal status.
Status
Status.
- What legal status does Kurdish have in each country, with sources? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Policy
Policy and rights.
Policy
Policy.
- How do sources describe restrictions, education and media in Kurdish, with positions attributed? provenance
- Is the presentation neutral? boundary
Culture Literature and learning.
Literature
Literature.
Literature
Literature.
- What are the landmarks of Kurdish literature, from Ahmad Khani to modern writers? provenance
- Which entry fits Kurdish literature? action
Learn
Learning resources.
Learn
Learn.
- What resources exist for learning Kurdish varieties? provenance
- Which sources are cited? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Information and virtual systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- INF
- Domain
- INF.MED
- Other names and narrower kinds
- Kordali, Southern Kurdish, Kurmanji, Gerrusî, Sorani, Laki, Kurdish in Arabic script, Kurdish in Latin script, Harsînî, Silaxurî, Kelhuri, Pehlí
What it is Filled
A group of closely related Northwestern Iranian languages spoken by Kurds across Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria and the diaspora, chiefly Kurmanji or Northern Kurdish, Sorani or Central Kurdish and Southern Kurdish including varieties such as Kordali, Laki and Gerrusi, written in Latin, Arabic-based and Cyrillic scripts, with about 30 million speakers; Kurdish is official in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, has been restricted in some states, and its classification as one language or several is debated.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent describe the Kurdish languages and their varieties, relay speaker numbers, scripts and legal status with sources, present language policy issues with attribution, and distinguish Kurdish from neighbouring Iranian languages such as Zaza and Gorani.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Dialect continuum
- Three scripts
- Cross-border speech community
- Contested classification
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Treat Kurmanji, Sorani and Southern Kurdish as interchangeable.
- Use the wrong script for the reader's variety.
- Present Kurdish as a dialect of another country's language.
- Identify people as Kurdish from their language use to expose them to risk.
Only with a human decision
- Publishing official or legal text in Kurdish.
May
- Translate to and from Kurdish varieties, stating which variety and script are used.
- Report speaker figures with their source and its limits.
Moral aspects Filled
- Kurdish has been banned or restricted in several states, and its speakers persecuted.
- Language is closely bound to Kurdish identity and politics.
Who is affected
- Kurdish speakers
- Kurdish refugees and diaspora
- Learners
Owners Filled
Steward
Nobody owns the language; its speakers hold it.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q390576 - registry parent class
related
- Northwestern Iranian - in registry terms
- Kurds - the people
- Kurdistan Region - of Iraq
- Hawar alphabet - among other scripts
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.kurdish
- Wikidata: Q36368 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q36368)
- ISO 639-1: ku
- ISO 639-3: kmr, ckb, sdh Northern, Central, Southern
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
- speakers: about 30 million people - estimates vary
- main varieties: 3 count - Northern, Central, Southern
Plane INF: no invented physical properties.
Recognition optional Filled
- Northwestern Iranian languages of the Kurds
- Kurmanji, Sorani, Southern Kurdish and local varieties
- Zaza and Gorani are related but usually classified separately; Persian is Southwestern Iranian
- Not a visible object; written in Hawar Latin, Sorani Arabic-based and historically Cyrillic scripts.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- describe varieties and scripts
- relay speaker numbers and status
- present policy issues with attribution
- distinguish from related languages
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Presenting contested classification as settled
- Politicised presentation of language rights
- Confusing Kurdish with Zaza or Gorani
- Unsourced speaker figures
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- Iraqi constitution recognising Kurdish as official
- Language laws and restrictions in Turkey, Iran and Syria, with positions attributed
- Orthography conventions of the Kurdish academies
Context of use required Filled
- Not applicable; a language group.
- Kurmanji or Northern Kurdish
- Sorani or Central Kurdish
- Southern Kurdish including Kordali, Laki, Gerrusi and Kalhori
- Kurdish in the diaspora
- literary standards and orthographies
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q36368: Kurdish language - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Kurdish language - general description of the item
Open questions
- Should Kurmanji and Sorani be separate primary entries?
- How should census and linguistic sources be linked?
- The registry entry has merged aliases naming varieties; should they be split off?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q36368/spec.json