Kurdish Language Research Articles

Examining Color Recognition in the Kurdish Language: A Sociolinguistic Perspective

This study employs a cross-sectional research design to explore color recognition among Kurdish participants, encompassing individuals from various age and education groups. The research aims to investigate patterns of color perception across demographic segments within the Kurdish population. Participants were selected from four distinct groups: elementary school graduates (elderly), high school students, university students, and university graduates. The study involved presenting participants with a list of color names in Kurdish and recording their responses to assess color recognition. Descriptive statistics, including frequency distributions and percentages, were utilized to analyze the data and identify trends in color perception. The total number of participants in the study was 274. Findings indicate a high level of familiarity with basic colors such as black, white, red, green, yellow, and blue across all participant groups, with recognition rates ranging from 85% to 96%. However, less common colors, including gray, orange, pink, and purple, showed varying levels of recognition among different participant groups. Gray was relatively better recognized compared to other less common colors, with recognition rates ranging from 8.93% to 15%, suggesting potential differences in exposure to color terminology among different age and education groups.

A Phonological Comparison of Khorasan and Northern Kurmanji

The aim of this study is to compare the Kurmanji of Khorasan with standard north Kurdish (standard Kurmanji). The dialect of Khorasani Kurdish is north Kurdish (Kurmanji). The Kurds of Khorasan live mainly in the two districts, Northern and Razavi Khorasan. The total number of the Khorasani Kurds can be estimated almost one million. This region is characterised by a large ethnic diversity; Kurds, Baluches, Faris, Lors, Turks, Turkmens, etc., though most of them have appeared here as a result of migration from other areas. The mixture of population in the region had some effect on Kurdish dialect that is spoken in that area. This study will focus on the phonological changes of kurmanji dialect of the Khorasani Kurdish. Keywords: Phonology, Kurdish Language, North Kurdish (Kurmanji), Khorasani Kurmanji

Bridging the Gap

Effective organization and retrieval of news content are heavily reliant on accurate news classification. While the mountainous research has been conducted in resourceful languages like English and Chinese, the researches on under-resourced languages like the Kurdish language are severely lacking. To address this challenge, we introduce a hybrid approach called RFO-CNN in this paper. The proposed method combines an improved version of red fox optimization algorithm (RFO) and convolutional neural network (CNN) for finetuning CNN’s parameters. Our model’s efficacy was tested on two widely used Kurdish news datasets, KNDH and KDC-4007, both of which contain news articles classified into various categories. We compared the performance of RFO-CNN to other cutting-edge deep learning models such as bidirectional long short-term memory networks and bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT) transformers, as well as classical machine learning approaches such as multinomial naive bayes, support vector machine, and K-nearest neighbors. We trained and tested our datasets using four different scenarios: 60:40, 70:30, 80:20, and 90:10. Our experimental results demonstrate the superiority of the RFO-CNN model across all scenarios, outperforming the benchmark BERT model and other machine learning models in terms of accuracy and F1-score.

Possessive construction in the Kurdish language

Abstract The present study investigates Possessive Constructions and domains of possession in Kalhori Kurdish (KK) from a Cognitive Linguistics perspective to reveal the arrangement of constituents and relationships between the head (possessee) and dependent (possessor). This qualitative descriptive-analytical study collected data by interviewing KK speakers in Iran. The results indicate that KK speakers employ both the B-construction (­hin-e­) and Be-construction (ha) at the clause level to denote predicative possession characterized by [−whole-part, −kinship] relationships and [+alienable] ownership. Additionally, KK speakers were found to utilize the H-construction (/dire/) at the clause level associated with [+whole-part, +kinship] relationships and [±alienable] ownership. KK speakers also employ possession splits in nominal/attributive possession by attaching the possessor, marked by the [+human] feature, to the possessee, marked by the [±human] feature, as an affix.

Deep Learning-Based Cyberbullying Detection in Kurdish Language

Abstract Cyberbullying is a significant concern in this digital age due to its harmful effects on individuals and society. Sadly, social media platforms have only exacerbated the problem, making it imperative to find effective ways to identify and prevent offensive content. While previous research has extensively focused on English and explored machine learning techniques to tackle this issue. To address this gap, this paper introduces a new hybrid deep learning model called Gray Wolf Algorithm-convolutional neural network (GWA-CNN), explicitly designed to detect cyberbullying in the Kurdish language on Twitter. The proposed model combines the CNN framework with an optimised GWA version to improve CNN’s parameters and reduce training time. We evaluated GWA-CNN thoroughly utilizing the first-ever manually annotated Kurdish dataset of 30k tweets that have been meticulously curated and divided into three categories, namely sexism, racism and neutral expressions, and compared its performance to those of state-of-the-art algorithms such as Naïve Bayes, K-Nearest Neighbors, Recurrent Neural Networks, Gated Recurrent Units and attention-based transformer. The experimental results demonstrate that GWA-CNN exhibited superior performance in all scenarios, outperforming other approaches in detecting cyberbullying on Twitter.

The impact of physical geography factors on the division of Kurdish language – taking the dialect of Surchi tribe as example

The title of our research is about (The impact of physical geography factors on the division of Kurdish language – taking the dialect of Surchi tribe as example). In this study, we will try to highlight the physical geography factors which can divide a language into several dialects, there are similar factors that divided the Kurdish language into four main dialects, each of which is divided into several sub-dialects, we will also try to focus on a physical geography factor which is the Great Zab River in the territory of ​​the Surchi tribe, which has made the population belonging to the tribe on both sides of the river, although whose main language is Kurdish, their speech styles may differ in terms of language levels, and these distinctions are more noticed by linguists. In this research, we have done several field visits and interviews with villagers of some villages belonging to the Surchi tribe on both sides of the Great Zab River. After researching and interviewing in these areas, we decided to take two villages as samples of our research, each of which is different in terms of physical geography and speech styles. Zerav village is located on the bank of a river on the right side of the Great Zab, while Kalakin village is located on the left bank of the Great Zab. This study is divided into three main parts: First part concerns Kurdish Language and its dialects, second part is about physical geography factors on division of the Kurdish language, third part presents Surchi tribe, it describes the geographical boundaries of Surchi tribe, then analyzes the speech style of Surchi tribe in general and identifies the phonemes of both villages (Kalakin Sarchia) and (Zerav) in particular, then compare them with each other in terms of phonology.

Computational linguistics and its role in the Kurdish language Orthography and voice as a model

Today information technology has permeated all aspects of life One of the aspect which is directly affected and under hegemony of technology is language, since language is the most important means of communication, and the whole human society communicate and understand each other through language. With any changes and develops (progress) of life society language changes and progresses parallels, this why technology reflected in language Rather, a special branch of language has emerged is computer language that works on the coordination between computer and language progress The content of this research discuss( focus on) the beginnings of this kind of linguistics( language) and its role in Orthography and phopnology in kurdish language

The Situation of Using Kurdish Language in the Law Department at Kurdistan Universities

More than one language of instruction can be discerned in the higher education system of the Kurdistan Region. In the colleges and departments of pure and applied sciences, the programmes are taught in English or a mixture of English and Kurdish. However, Kurdish is not yet fully relied on in colleges and departments of humanities and social sciences. That is, in some departments and colleges, it is still assumed that the Arabic language is dominant in the learning process. The main aim of this study is to determine the level of use of Kurdish as a medium of instruction in law departments at Kurdistan Region universities. Additionally, to understand the effects of the Kurdishization of education in the law department on the learning process and to unveil the obstacles facing the process of Kurdishization of programmes and teaching, specialised subjects in the law department at the universities of the Kurdistan Region. The research is descriptive and relies on a survey method to obtain the opinions of 103 students of both genders (male and female) in different stages of the Department of Law at the University of Garmian during the second semester of the academic year (2022-2023). This research has reached several concluding points, chief among them being that the language used in the student-related activities is Kurdish, while in the teacher-related tasks, Arabic is mainly used. Kurdishization of the law in the law department will also have several positive effects on the learning process, including making students feel comfortable, reducing their level of fear and anxiety, and enabling them to participate in questions, answers, scientific discussions, and classroom activities. Meanwhile, the study found that there are several obstacles to the process of Kurdishization of the curriculum and teaching of law departments in universities, including the lack of a legal curriculum in Kurdish and an underestimation of the capacity of the Kurdish language dictionary for conveying and teaching legal subjects.

Feminist Paradigm in the Social Researches

The lack of scientific literature in Kurdish language on research paradigms in the social sciences creates complications for new researchers. This paper attempts to discuss some of the basic issues of social science research in order to provide a clear presentation for researchers in this field. The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief overview of the different research paradigms. especially the feminist paradigm. The paper reviews the literature on the feminist paradigm and explains its ontological, epistemological and methodological positions. It also defines and explores different research methods in detail. It emphasizes that we need to be mindful of issues related to women in our choice of research paradigm and to design our research with a clear connection between the nature of the paradigm and the theoretical framework of research. The decision to choose a philosophical perspective for the study of a phenomenon or topic related to women's issues is important to be guided by the demands and needs of a study. It is important that researchers adopt an appropriate approach to the choice of research methods or combination of methods, but the choice of any research method should not be interpreted as indicative of an ontological or epistemological position, in the sense that the choice of research paradigm takes precedence.

اللامساس اللغوي والمكانة والشخصية في اللغة الكردية

This paper entitled “Linguistic Impoliteness, and Reputation and Personality in Kurdish Language” mentions a negative aspect of using the Kurdish language through unethical language usage and linguistic impoliteness by the people who have reputations in Kurdish society and use language in a wrong way that cannot correlate with their personality and reputation. This study discusses those speeches and writings that embody impoliteness of language. Then, the methods and means of spreading this phenomenon and its reasons are discussed with the analysis of this phenomenon in the field of sociolinguistics. Later, this phenomenon is indicated in those who have reputations in Kurdish society mentioning its negative impact on the Kurdish official language and the people’s reputations. Eventually, recommendations and solutions for this phenomenon are presented. This study is related to the field of sociolinguistics which is related to applied linguistics, and it is conducted through the method of descriptive analysis.

تطبيق النظرية المورفولوجية للهجات اللغة الكردية

Dialects and languages in the world are categorized according to various theories and typologies, and morphological theory is one of them. In this study, the development phases of this theory are illustrated, from its founder to the linguists that developed it. This study is a practical effort in which the dialects of Kurdish Language are applied in the shade of the morphological theory with elaborated examples in accordance with both holistic and partial approaches, as the two approaches of the mentioned theory. In addition, this study shows the enrichment of the dialects of Kurdish Language having all types from the holistic approach with dominance of the dialects in one type, and the attractiveness of the dialects from the perspective of gender, for example, from the partial approach.

Tawfiq Wahbi and the Reform of the Kurdish Language in Contact Zones

This study explores the life story and works of Tawfiq Wahbi, an Ottoman-Kurdish military, political, and intellectual figure. Born in Sulaimaniya in 1891, Wahbi received his education in Sulaimaniya, Baghdad, and İstanbul. He became a captain in the Ottoman army. He served as a minister and senator in Iraq. Following the 1958 Revolution, he settled in Great Britain, where he died in 1984. Wahbi is mostly known for his studies onthe Kurdish language. He contributed to Kurdish, Arabic, and English literary, cultural, and academic journals. The first study devoted to Wahbi’s intellectual biography in English, this article suggests that his scholarly interest was mainly shaped through his knowledge of and active engagement with European Orientalist scholarship. This paper suggests that Wahbi’s intellectual journey can be fittingly analyzed with reference toArif Dirlik’s use of the concept of “contact zone,” developed in the context of the relationship between Euro-American Orientalists and Bengali and Chinese intellectuals. In other words, Wahbi’s access to European languages and the scholarship produced in these languages in general, and his collaboration with British Orientalists in particular, seem to have been crucial in his endeavor of reforming Kurdish.

Իրանական լեզուների հայերեն անունները. ժամանակագրությունը, գործածությունը, բառարանային մշակումը և կանոնարկման խնդիրները / Armenian Names of Iranian Languages: Chronology, Usage, Lexicographical Processing, and Normative Issues

In the fifth century, the Armenian language used the names of two Iranian languages: պարսկերէն (Persian) and պարթեւարէն (Parthian). In the seventh century, the linguonym պարսիկ լեզու (Persian) was recorded, while in Middle Armenian it was ֆարսի (Farsi). The formation of the remaining linguonyms refers to modern times. In the Armenian language, linguonyms of living and dead Iranian languages are in some cases names of dialects. They are usually formed using the suffix –երեն (-eren). The exceptions are the ancient Armenian պարթեւարէն (Parthian language) and the variable սոգդիարեն (Sogdian language), formed in the twentieth century, using the suffix -արէն (–aren). The Armenian names of Iranian languages have the following options: a) phonetic-orthographic, b) word-formative, c) lexical, d) structural (word and phrase). In the Armenian scientific literature, in particular in the linguistic works on Iranian studies, the variability of Armenian and borrowed linguonyms is noted. It is necessary to minimize the variability of Armenian names of Iranian languages and unify linguonyms, which will contribute to the correctness and accuracy of scientific speech. In monolingual and bilingual dictionaries of the Old Armenian and New Armenian languages, the names of two dozen Iranian languages with their various variants became headwords. The same number of linguonyms, including the names of dialects, have not yet been recorded in dictionaries. Among the Armenian names of Iranian languages, the most commonly used linguonyms are պարսկերեն (Persian language), տաջիկերեն (Tajik language) and քրդերեն (Kurdish language). A number of linguonyms are found only in scientific texts, some are used in isolated cases.

Acceptability of Google Translate Machine Translation System in Translation from English into Kurdish

The development of Machine Translation (MT) systems and their application in performing translation projects gave a crucial position to the evaluation of these systems’ outputs. Recently, the Google Translate MT system added the central accent of the Kurdish language to its language list. The current study is an attempt to evaluate the acceptability of the translated texts produced by the system. Different text typologies have been considered for the study's data. To evaluate the MT outputs, the Bilingual Evaluation Understudy (BLEU) evaluation model has been administered. The findings show that the performance of the understudy MT system in the translation of English into the Sorani accent of Kurdish is affected by some linguistic and technical hindrances, which in general affect the acceptability of translated text.

A lexicon without an initial attempt towards an academic lexicon

Research Summary: This research is entitled (Khal Dictionary, a preliminary attempt towards an academic dictionary), in which I shed light on the foundations and characteristics of the Khal Dictionary, show the positive and negative aspects of the dictionary, and take into account the foundations of the academic dictionary in it. consists of the first research researchers dealing with the beginning of the attempt to place the dictionary and the deficiencies of the dictionary of the Kurdish language, and the second with the dictionary’s characteristics, types and classification. The research found several results, the most important of which: One of the important characteristics of an khal's dictionary is that it first addressed the words of all dialects and explained them. This work is the basis for the dictionary that comes after them and can be used when setting up an academic dictionary .

Tackling the Divide in the Kurdish Language

Abstract This article is an autoethnographic account that traces the widening divide between Kurdish dialects in the age of nation-states. It aspires to problematize and go beyond the widespread gap characterizing the Kurdish language along two dialects and alphabets. From its emergence as a non-state language in the 1920s onward, Kurdish actors sought to revive Kurmanji Kurdish in Damascus, Beirut and Yerevan; and Sorani Kurdish in Sulaimaniya and Baghdad. While the Kurmanji side of the story and its actors have been studied to a certain degree, how Kurdish developed in Sulaimaniya and Baghdad has received little scholarly attention. Through its author’s autoethnographic account of acquiring literacy in both dialects which recently came to fruition at the Zheen Center for Documentation and Research in Sulaimaniya, this article provides some reflections on the story of the Kurdish language in the age of nation-states.

Investigating Developmental Language Disorder among Young Kurdish Students and its Impact on Learning English as a Foreign Language

This study aims to understand the difficulties young Kurdish language learners face with developmental language disorder in bilingual settings and to evaluate their impact on English as a foreign language acquisition. Underscoring the significance of this research, the study’s primary objective is to determine the characteristics of developmental language disorder in this context and their implications for academic assimilation. The Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals assessment was selected to achieve this primary objective due to its suitability for assessing the British population’s linguistic characteristics and age group. Seven subtests were chosen to comprehensively evaluate various aspects of language proficiency, allowing for a thorough evaluation of the participants’ language skills. This research expands its significance. These initiatives include more extensive investigations, innovative participant recruitment methods, exploration of cultural influences, longitudinal studies to discover long-term effects, critical analysis of intervention strategies, examination of the complex relationship between emotional regulation and language development, investigation of genetic and environmental factors contributing to developmental language disorder, and evaluation of the far-reaching consequences. Upon analysis of the collected data, several significant findings shed light on the efficacy of individualised approaches in mitigating communication and academic difficulties in individuals with developmental language disorders.

The Hegemony of English Loanwords Over Kurdish Language on Facebook Authors

The Hegemony of English Loanwords Over Kurdish Language on Facebook Authors

Cross-cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Kurdish Version of the Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH-KU) Scale

Abstract Background The disabilities of arm, shoulder, and hand (DASH) questionnaire addresses the patient's disabilities and symptoms to evaluate the extent and the impact of injuries in the patient's daily-life activities. This study aims to develop a valid and reliable adaptation of DASH into the Kurdish language and culture (DASH-KU). Methods American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons Outcomes Committee guideline was used for the cross-cultural adaptation of DASH to the Kurdish version. This study was conducted at the Shahid Saifaddin consultation clinic in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq between April and October 2022. A total of 300 participants, who were included in the study using an available sampling method, completed the self-report DASH-KU questionnaire during two consecutive assessments with a 24-hour interval. Results The DASH-KU questionnaire demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.99) and test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation = 0.99). A strong correlation between DASH-KU scores and the patient-rated wrist/hand evaluation tool (r = 0.792) supported its construct validity. Bland–Altman plots showed good agreement between assessments with no floor (3%) or ceiling (0%) effects. Factor analysis found the scale had high adequacy (0.700) and significant sphericity (p < 0.001). The major factor explained 40% of variance with an eigenvalue of 13.14. Additionally, a five-item model explained 81.23% of DASH-KU variance, though responsiveness was suboptimal, possibly due to the short 24-hour interval between measurements. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that DASH-KU has excellent reliability and validity in identifying upper limb injuries, and the psychometric properties of DASH-KU were similar to its original version.

KurdSum: A new benchmark dataset for the Kurdish text summarization

Summarizing a text is the process of condensing its content while still maintaining its essential information. With the abundance of digital information available, summarization has become a significant task in various fields, including information retrieval, NLP (Natural Language Processing), and machine learning. This task has been extensively studied in languages such as English and Chinese, but research on Kurdish language summarization is lacking. Therefore, we present the first-ever Kurdish summarization news dataset, KurdSum, which includes over 40,000 texts. We collected news articles from Kurdish websites, preprocessed the data, and manually created a summary for each article. We further assessed the performance of our benchmark dataset on four extractive systems (LEXRANK, TEXTRANK, ORACLE, and LEAD0-3) and three abstractive methods (Pointer-Generator, Sequence-to-Sequence and transformer-abstractive). Our experiments showed that the Pointer-Generator approach yielded superior ROUGE (Recall-Oriented Understudy for Gisting Evaluation) scores compared to other techniques and ORACLE outperformed other extractive methods. Our findings offer a promising direction for the summarization of Kurdish text and can contribute to developing NLP tools for processing the Kurdish language. Likewise, the dataset can serve as a benchmark dataset for Kurdish language summarization and a valuable resource for researchers interested in developing Kurdish summarization models.