When Kurdish emigrants from Eastern Turkey are studied, one first thinks of the Kurdish emigrants in Europe and the Americas. And yet, a particularly large Kurdish diaspora from Eastern Turkey can be found within Turkey itself, having resettled in western Turkey’s metropolises. This article seeks to discuss recent sociolinguistic developments both in the Kurdish-speaking regions of Eastern Turkey (Northern Kurdistan/Bakur) and in the Kurdish communities in western Turkey (i.e., in the diaspora). My focus is on the two largest so-called ‚minority languages‘ of Turkey: Kurmanji and Zazaki—with the guiding issue of interest being language policy. And here again, my interest is twofold: first, Turkey’s language policy towards its minorities, particularly towards Kurdish, is at stake; and second, the language policy within the Kurdish movement towards Kurdish is depicted, including its recent paradigm shift, and with particular consideration of gender aspects. Recent developments give rise to doubts and yet hope that Kurdish will continue to serve as a language of private life, but also spread to everyday public visibility and prestige in Turkey.
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Variation in the ergative pattern of Kurmanji
Kurdish-Kurmanji (or Northern Kurdish) belongs to the Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family. This study is dedicated to a deeper understanding of a specific grammatical feature typical of Kurmanji: the ergative structure. Based on the example of this core structure, and with empirical evidence from the Kurmanji dialect of MuÅŸ in Turkey, I will discuss the issues of variation and change in Kurmanji, more precisely the ongoing shift from ergative to nominative-accusative structures. The causes for such a fundamental shift, however, are not easy to define. The close historical vicinity to Turkish and Armenian might be a trigger for the shift; another trigger is language-internal (diachronic) change. In sum, the investigated variation sheds light on a fascinating grammatical change in a language that is also sociopolitically in a situation of constant change, movement, and upheaval.
Language planning in the diaspora: Corpus and prestige planning for Kurdish
The socio-political situation of Kurdish in the Middle East has been largely unfavourable for the development of a standard language and related prestige. This, in turn, led the members of the Kurdish diaspora in European countries to take charge of the issues of language policy and planning of their language without relying on governmental support. As examples of diasporic language planning achievements, I will describe and discuss two initiatives based in France and Sweden respectively. With their contributions they have been providing work that is normally carried out by language academies – i.e., institutions with state support. In the case of a people without a state, the task of standardising and promoting a language is even more complex. My paper will provide some insight into this huge enterprise.