Kurdish Academy of Language

enables the Kurdish language in new horizon

This is the front page of KURDISTAN,
The first Kurdish Newspaper published on Thursday 21^st of April 1898

Thursday 30^th of Dhū al-Qa'da (ذو القعدة) year 1315, Islamic Calendar

Thursday 9^th of Nisan year 1314, Ottoman Turkish Calendar (Rumi Calendar)

The unprejudiced academics that study Kurdish history are united in the view that the Kurds are an ancient race (1). The Kurds have lived for many thousands of year’s -even longer than written documentation can reflect-in a land that has been described as the 'cradle of human civilisation'. We need only think of Jewish and Islamic mythology, which designates Mount Judi (Cudi) in Kurdistan as the resting place of Noah's ark (2); we know from history that in the land of the Kurds and its surrounding territories numerous advanced civilisations existed, such as that of Mesopotamia, of the Hittites, the Hurrites; the Karduchi, the Mittanis, the Parthians, and the Sassanids.

Like other non-Arabic speaking peoples who adopted the Arabic alphabet after the Islamic conquest of the seventeenth century, Kurds have started using a modified version of the Arabic script to suit the phonemic system of their language from the beginning of the last century. The changes introduced before the present century were modest compared to the extensive reform carried out especially since the 1920's. The Arabic version of the Kurdish alphabet with all its practical difficulties is now to a great extent standardized, although spelling remains a serious problem. This section view a historical as well practical usage of existing Kurdish orthographies.

Modern formal schooling, which is usually structured in the form of primary, secondary and higher education, relies on the extensive use of written and oral language. To achieve any degree of success, the teaching/learning process must be carried out through a standard medium of instruction. In fact, school functions, and is generally accepted, as the most visible authority on the accepted "norm" of the language.

Geoffrey L. J. Haig, June 2004

In 1995, when I first began to learn Kurdish, my interest was captivated by the feature commonly referred to as ergativity in the past tense of transitive verbs. Although it was familiar to me in an abstract fashion from the linguistic literature, actually using a language with that particular feature is a very different matter. However, at a fairly early stage I came to the conclusion that ergativity in Kurdish was a largely superficial phenomenon, something manifested in the morphology, but without apparent ramifications for the syntax.

ISTANBUL - HDN, 16/02/2011

A Turkish foundation has called for Article 42 of the Constitution to be changed in order to allow education in mother tongue, saying the article has “turned into a barrier” to educational rights.

The report by the History Foundation also included a recommendation to introduce an elective class on Kurdish language and literature into the high school curriculum.

This is the cover page of the first ever Kurdish Textbook in Armenian alphabet. This book was published in 1860 in Yerevan. KAL celebrating 150th anniversary of Kurdish textbook and modern learning. KAL has entire book which will be scanned and posted online sue to course. 

We are looking for users who are able to read old Armenian to convert this book to modern Kurdish writing systems. Please use the contact form to contact us. 

 View this textbook in full

Source; The Armenian national Library Yerevan, 

Prepared by Amir Sharifi and Luqman Barwari, 14/01/2011

As 2010 was coming to an end, one could make a forceful argument that the year was an intriguing and fruitful one when it came to the long neglected Kurdish language, art, and literature. Kurdish intellectuals, politicians, and activists in the homeland and Diaspora for the first time discussed their shared interests and aspirations to ensure that they re-discover, reassert and regain their role in studying, safeguarding, and representing their cultural legacy and ethnic and linguistic identity.

Marogulov kí ye? Ísahak Marogulov, péshengé elfabeya kurdí ya bi Latíní ye. Lé belé kurdén Bakur pir ew nebihístine. Di der baré berhemén wí de ú di der baré alfabeya wí de. Min xwest ez hinekí di der baré wí de agahiyan berhev bikim an híní jhiyan ú keda wí bibim. Lé di ínterneté de mixabin tené cend heb nivísar hebún. Ew jhí péshí bi tirkí hatine nivísandin. Ew nivísar jhí jhi pirtúka bi navé “Jhi Díroka Gelé Kurd 13 Pelén Balkésh (Kurt Halk Taríhínden 13 ilginc yaprak)” hatine girtin. Pirtúk a Rewshenbír Jelílé Jelíl ú jhi Wesanxaneya Evrensel Basin Yayin, bi wergera nivískar Hasan KAYA di sala 2007’an de hatiye capkirin. Bi rastí, divé zimanzan li ser vé yeké bisekinin ú níqash bikin.