The romanization of Kurdish language [a] is the practice of transcribing the Kurdish, traditionally written in both Arabic and Latin scripts, into a standardized Latin alphabet. The development of Kurdish romanization systems supports the need for digital communication, linguistic research, and accessibility for Kurdish speakers and Kurdish speakers in diaspora communities. [1] These systems strive to maintain phonetic precision and consistency across the diverse Kurdish dialects. [2]
Efforts to standardize Kurdish in a Latin-based script began in the 20th century, driven by a desire to create a unified writing system that could bridge dialectal differences and promote a unified Kurdish identity. The adaptation of the Latin script for Kurdish was influenced by its use in other Arabic, Turkic and Iranian languages in the region, which were also transitioning away from Arabic scripts at the time. [3] [4]
Mîr Celadet Bedirxan, a Kurdish writer, linguist and diplomat, [5] was the first to bring the Latin script to the Middle East and use it for Kurdish, alongside the Arabic script since the 1920–1930s, [6] [7] [8] this new Latin script became known as Hawar. [9]
The Kurdish Academy system is one of the most widely used romanization systems for Kurdish. It emphasizes phonetic accuracy, utilizing Latin characters with diacritics to represent unique Kurdish phonology. This system is particularly useful for linguistic and educational purposes, providing clear guidelines on how to pronounce Kurdish words accurately. [10] [3]
The following table illustrates the transcription of selected Kurdish sounds into Latin script according to the Kurdish Romanization system, showing the corresponding Arabic script, phonetic sounds, and example words for each letter.
| Romanization (Hawar generally considered) | Arabic Script (Sorani Kurdish) | Sound | Example Word |
|---|---|---|---|
| a | ئ | /æ/ | ئاوارە (aware - Refugee) |
| a [b] | ا | /ɑ/ | باران (baran - Rain) |
| b | ب | /b/ | بەفر (befir - Snow) |
| c | ج | /ʤ/ | جاران (caran - Times) |
| ç | چ | /ʧ/ | چاو (çaw - Eye) |
| d | د | /d/ | دەنگ (deng - Sound) |
| 'e | ع | /ʕ/ | عەشیرەت ('eşîret - Tribe) |
| e [c] | ە | /e/ | ئەمە (eme - This) |
| ê | ێ | /ɛ/ | گوێ (giwê - Ear) |
| f | ف | /f/ | فڕین (fiřîn - To fly) |
| g | گ | /ɡ/ | گەرمی (germî - Warmth) |
| h | ھ | /h/ | ھەزار (hezar - Thousand) |
| ĥ [d] | ح | /ħ/ | حەوت (ĥewit - Seven) |
| i [e] | 'بزرۆکە' [13] | /i/ | ئاگر (agir -Fire) |
| î | ی | /iː/ | چیرۆک (çîrok - Tale) |
| j | ژ | /ʒ/ | ژمارە (jimare - Number) |
| k | ک | /k/ | کوردی (Kurdî - Kurdish) |
| ll or ł | ڵ | /ɫ/ | لێڵ (lêll or lêł - Blurry) |
| l | ل | /l/ | لەیلا (leyla - Leyla) [f] |
| m | م | /m/ | مەزن (mezin - Big) |
| n | ن | /n/ | نەورۆز (newroz - Kurdish new year) |
| o | ۆ | /o/ | خۆشی (xoşî - Happiness) |
| p | پ | /p/ | پڕ (př - Full) |
| q | ق | /q/ | قسە (qise - Speech) |
| r | ر | /ɾ/ | کرم (kirim - Earthworm) |
| s | س | /s/ | سەرکەوتن (serkewtin - Victory) |
| ş | ش | /ʃ/ | شاخ (şax - Mountain) |
| t | ت | /t/ | تەمەن (temen - Age) |
| u | و | /ʊ/ | بەرز و نزم (beriz u nizim - High and low) |
| û | وو | /uː/ | بەستوو (bestû - Icy) |
| v | ڤ | /v/ | ڤەداندەر (vedander - Creator) |
| w | و | /w/ | وەرگرتن (wergirtin - To take) |
| x | خ | /x/ | خاک (xak - Land) |
| y | ی | /j/ | یار (yar - Lover) |
| z | ز | /z/ | زەرد (zerd - Yellow) |
Due to the variety of Kurdish dialects, regional adaptations of romanization exist, reflecting pronunciation differences. This has led to some differences in preferred romanized forms across regions, as various linguistic institutions seek to adapt romanization practices that best reflect their local dialect. [14]
The use of romanized Kurdish is prevalent in digital communication, especially within Kurdish diaspora communities, where Latin-based keyboards are more accessible. [14] Additionally, the UK government has developed a practical romanization system for administrative purposes, designed to simplify Kurdish transcription without the use of diacritics. [15] [16]
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Celadet Elî Bedirxan, also known as Mîr Celadet, was a Kurdish diplomat, writer, linguist, journalist and political activist. He held a master's degree in law from Istanbul University, completed his studies in Munich, and spoke several languages including Arabic, Kurdish, Russian, German, Turkish, Persian and French. He left Turkey in 1923 when the Kemalists declared a new republic. In 1927, at a Kurdish conference held in Beirut, a committee was formed, the Xoybûn. He is known for having been the first modern linguist to compile and organise the grammar of the modern form of the Northern Kurdish language, Kurmanji, and having designed the Latin-based Hawar alphabet, which is now the formal alphabet of Kurmanji and is also sometimes used for the other dialects of the Kurdish Language, having replaced the Arabic-based, Cyrillic-based, Persian-based and Armenian-based alphabets formerly used for Kurmanji.
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