Kurdish phonology

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Kurdish phonology is the sound system of the Kurdish dialect continuum. This article includes the phonology of the three Kurdish languages in their respective standard descriptions. Phonological features include the distinction between aspirated and unaspirated voiceless stops, and the large phoneme inventories. [1] [2]

Contents

Consonants

Geographic distribution of Kurdish languages
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Kurmanji (Northern Kurdish)
Sorani (Central Kurdish)
Zaza language
Southern Kurdish (Xwarin) and Gorani
Mixed dialect areas Kurdish languages map.svg
Geographic distribution of Kurdish languages
   Kurmanji (Northern Kurdish)
   Sorani (Central Kurdish)
   Southern Kurdish (Xwarîn) and Gorani
  Mixed dialect areas
Consonant phonemes [1] [4] [5]
Labial Dental/
Alveolar
Palatal Velar Uvular Pharyngeal Glottal
plain velar. plain labial. plain labial. plain labial.
Nasal m n ŋ
Plosive voiceless asp. [a] [a] t͡ʃʰ [a] [a]
vcls. unasp. p t t͡ʃ k q ʔ
voiced b d d͡ʒ ɡ ɡʷ
Fricative voiceless f s [b] ʃ x ħ h
voiced v z [b] ʒ ɣ ɣʷ ʕ
Approximant l ɫ j ɥ w
Tap/flap ɾ
Trill r

Kurmanji

Sorani

Xwarîn

Labialization

Palatalization

Pharyngealization

Consonants in loanwords

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kurmanji only
  2. 1 2 Sorani only

Vowels

The vowel inventory differs by language, some languages having more vowel phonemes than others. The vowels /iːʊɛɑː/ are the only phonemes present in all three Kurdish languages.

Vowel phonemes [25] [26]
  Front Central Back
unrounded rounded unrounded rounded
Close ɪ ɨ ʉː ʊ
Close-mid øː o
Open-mid ɛ
Open a ɑː

Detailed table

GraphemePhoneme
Kurmanji [27] Sorani [28] Xwarîn [29] [30]
a ɑː a a [31]
a ɑː ɑː [32]
e ɛ ɛ ɛ
ê
i ɪ ɪ ɨ [33]
î
o o
o
ö øː [34]
u ʊ ʊ ʊ [35]
û
ü ʉː [36]

Notes

Vowels in loanwords

Glides and diphthongs

The glides [ w ], [ j ], and [ ɥ ] appear in syllable onsets immediately followed by a full vowel. All combinations except the last four are present in all three Kurdish languages.

Diphthongs
IPASpellingExample WordLanguage
KurmanjiSoraniXwarîn
[əw]ewşew [42] [ˈʃəw]'night' (Sorani)Check-green.svgCheck-green.svgCheck-green.svg
[ɑːw]awçaw [42] [ˈt͡ʃɑːw]'eye' (Sorani)Check-green.svgCheck-green.svgCheck-green.svg
[ɑːj]ayçay [42] [ˈt͡ʃɑːj]'tea'Check-green.svgCheck-green.svgCheck-green.svg
[ɛw]ewkew [43] [ˈkɛw]'partridge'Check-green.svgCheck-green.svgCheck-green.svg
[ɛj]eypeynje [42] [pɛjˈnʒæ]
[pɛjˈnʒɑ]
'ladder'Check-green.svgCheck-green.svgCheck-green.svg
[oːj]oybirroyn [42] [bɪˈroːjn]'let's go' (Sorani)Check-green.svgCheck-green.svgCheck-green.svg
[uːj]ûyçûy [42] [ˈt͡ʃuːj]'went' (Sorani)Check-green.svgCheck-green.svgCheck-green.svg
[ɑɥ]a[ clarification needed ]de [12] [ˈdɑɥ]'ogre' (Xwarîn)Dark Red x.svgDark Red x.svgCheck-green.svg
[ʉːɥ]üeküe [12] [ˈkʉːɥɑ]'mountain' (Xwarîn)Dark Red x.svgDark Red x.svgCheck-green.svg
[ɛɥ]teüle [12] [tɛɥˈlɑ]'stable' (Xwarîn)Dark Red x.svgDark Red x.svgCheck-green.svg
[ɥɑ]üedüet [12] [dɥɑt]'daughter' (Xwarîn)Dark Red x.svgDark Red x.svgCheck-green.svg

References

  1. 1 2 Khan & Lescot (1970), pp. 3–7.
  2. 1 2 Haig & Matras (2002), p. 5.
  3. The map shown is based on a map published by Le Monde Diplomatique in 2007.
  4. 1 2 Thackston (2006a), pp. 1–2.
  5. 1 2 Asadpour & Mohammadi (2014), p. 109.
  6. Khan & Lescot (1970), p. 5.
  7. Sedeeq (2017), p. 82.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Rahimpour & Dovaise (2011), p. 75.
  9. Ludwig Windfuhr (2012), p. 597.
  10. Rahimpour & Dovaise (2011), pp. 75–76.
  11. Campbell & King (2000), p. 899.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Fattahi, Anonby & Gheitasi (2016).
  13. Hamid (2015), p. 18.
  14. McCarus (1958), pp. 12.
  15. 1 2 Fattah (2000), pp. 96–97.
  16. Fattah (2000), pp. 97–98.
  17. Gündoğdu (2016), pp. 61–62.
  18. Gündoğdu (2016), p. 65.
  19. "Kurdish language i. History of the Kurdish language". Iranicaonline. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  20. Thackston (2006b), pp. 2–4.
  21. Thackston (2006b), p. 2.
  22. Khan & Lescot (1970), p. 6.
  23. Asadpour & Mohammadi (2014), p. 114.
  24. Sedeeq (2017), pp. 80, 105–106.
  25. Khan & Lescot (1970), pp. 8–16.
  26. 1 2 Thackston (2006a), p. 1.
  27. Thackston (2006b), pp. 1–2.
  28. Thackston (2006a), p. 7.
  29. Fattah (2000), pp. 110–122.
  30. Soane (1922), pp. 193–202.
  31. Fattah describes the sound as a voyelle brève antérieure ou centrale non arrondie (p. 119).
  32. Fattah describes the sound as a voyelle longue postérieure, d'aperture maximale, légèrement nasalisée. (p. 110)
  33. Fattah describes the sound as being the voyelle ultra-brève centrale très légèrement arrondie (p. 120).
  34. Fattah describes the sound as being the voyelle longue d'aperture minimale centrale arrondie (p. 114).
  35. Fattah describes the sound as being the voyelle postérieure arrondie (p. 111).
  36. Fattah describes the sound as being voyelle longue centrale arrondie (p. 116).
  37. Thackston (2006a), p. 3.
  38. 1 2 Thackston (2006b), p. 1.
  39. Gündoğdu (2016), p. 62.
  40. Gündoğdu (2016), p. 61.
  41. Khan & Lescot (1970), p. 16.
  42. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rahimpour & Dovaise (2011), p. 77.
  43. Asadpour & Mohammadi (2014), p. 107.

Bibliography