Southern Kurdish () is one of the dialects of the

Kurdish language Kurdish (, , ) is a Northwestern Iranian languages, Northwestern Iranian language or dialect continuum, group of languages spoken by Kurds in the region of Kurdistan, namely in southeast Turkish Kurdistan, Turkey, northern Iraqi Kurdistan, Ira ...

, spoken predominantly in northeastern

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

and western

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. The Southern Kurdish-speaking region spans from

Khanaqin Khanaqin (; ) is the central city of Khanaqin District in Diyala Governorate, Iraq, near the Iranian border (8 km) on the Alwand tributary of the Diyala River. The town is populated by Kurds who speak the Southern Kurdish dialect. Khan ...

in Iraq to

Dehloran Dehloran () is a city in the Central District of Dehloran County, Ilam province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and of the district. Demographics Language and ethnicity The city is populated by Kurds and Lurs. Population At ...

southward and Asadabad eastward in Iran.

Name

'Southern Kurdish' is a linguistic term for a group of related dialects in Western Iran. Speakers are not familiar with the term and do not refer to the language as such. They generally identify the kind of Kurdish they speak as a local dialect (the Kurdish of a given village), or as a regional variety such as "Garūsi".

Variants

Southern Kurdish has many variants, linguist Fattah divides them into 35 varieties. These include: * Bîcarî ** The most

septentrional Septentrional, meaning "of the north", is a Latinate adjective sometimes used in English. It is a form of the Latin noun ''septentriones'', which refers to the seven stars of the ''Plough'' (Big Dipper), occasionally called the ''Septentrion' ...

variety of Southern Kurdish spoken in and around Bijar in Iran. Bîcarî is the only Southern Kurdish variety detached from the greater Southern Kurdish-speaking region. * Qurweyî (Chahar Dawli Xarbi) ** The Quwreyî variety is spoken around Ghorveh in Iran and is related to the variety spoken in Asadabad and other Kurdish-speaking areas in

Hamadan Province Hamadan Province () is one of the provinces of Iran, 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Hamadan. In the Zagros Mountains, the province covers an area of 19,546 km2. History Hamadan province is one of the most ancien ...

. * Kulyayî ** The Kulyayî variety is spoken northeast of Kermanshah, principally in

Sonqor County Sonqor County () is in Kermanshah province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Sonqor. History In 2021, Bavaleh and Gavrud Rural Districts were separated from the Central District in the formation of Bavaleh District. Demographics Langu ...

and surrounding counties. The variety also spans into the

Kolyai Rural District Kolyai Rural District () is in Pirsalman District of Asadabad County, Hamadan province, Iran. Its capital is the village of Tavilan-e Sofla. Demographics Ethnicity The rural district is populated by Kurds Kurds (), or the Kurdish ...

in Hamadan Province. * Bîlewerî ** The principal Southern Kurdish variety in

Poshtdarband Rural District Posht Darband Rural District () is in Bilavar District of Kermanshah County, Kermanshah province, Iran. Its capital is the village of Marzbani. Demographics Population At the time of the 2006 National Census, the rural district's population ...

in Kermanshah. * Dînewerî ** About 83 villages in

Dinavar District Dinavar District () is in Sahneh County, Kermanshah province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Miyan Rahan. The district's name reflects the ancient city of Dinavar Dinavar (also spelled Dinawar and Daynavar; ) was a major town between t ...

speak the Dînewer variety. The differences between the Dînewerî and the Kulyayî varieties are anodine. * Sehne / Lekî-Kirmaşanî ** The Sehne variety, or Lekî-Kirmaşanî has many similar characteristics with Lekî and is spoken in

Harsin County Harsin County () is in Kermanshah province, Kermanshah province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Harsin, east of Kermanshah, above sea level. Demographics Language and ethnicity The population is Kurds, Kurdish and Shi'ite. Population A ...

and in

Sahneh Sahneh () is a city in the Central District of Sahneh County, Kermanshah province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Demographics Language The city is mostly Kurdish speaking. Population At the time of the 2006 ...

. What distinguishes it most from Lekî is the lack of the

ergative case In grammar, the ergative case (abbreviated ) is the grammatical case that identifies a nominal phrase as the agent of a transitive verb in ergative–absolutive languages. Characteristics In such languages, the ergative case is typically m ...

. * Kurdelî Pahlavi is quite distant, and may be a distinct language.Erik Anonby, Mortaza Taheri-Ardali & Amos Hayes (2019) ''The Atlas of the Languages of Iran (ALI)''. Iranian Studies 52
A Working Classification
/ref> Other variants include: Bîstûnî, Çihrî, Hersîn, Payrawend, Kirmaşanî, Sencabî, Xalesa, Çemçemal, Qesri Şîrînî, Serpuli Zehawî, Harasam, Kelhurrî, Îwan, Erkewazî, Şêrwanî, Îlamî, Salihabadî, Rîka, Bedreyî, Melikşahî, Mêxasî, Mihran, Xaneqînî, Mendilî, Duşêxî, Kaprat, Warmizyar, Zurbatiya and Feylî.

Alphabet

The Southern Kurdish alphabet is very similar to the Central Kurdish (Sorani) alphabet, which is a derivation of the

Arabic alphabet The Arabic alphabet, or the Arabic abjad, is the Arabic script as specifically codified for writing the Arabic language. It is a unicase, unicameral script written from right-to-left in a cursive style, and includes 28 letters, of which most ...

. Southern Kurdish has one additional letter "ۊ"; the Arabic letter waw with two dots above.

References

Bibliography

External links

Kurdish Academy of Language describing Southern Kurdish
*Audio recordings of wordlists and

narratives A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether non-fictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller, novel, etc.). ...

in Southern Kurdish, archived with Kaipuleohone
southern Kurdish Wikipedia
{{Authority control Kurdish language Languages of Kurdistan pt:Quelúri tr:Kelhuri