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Gender in Kurdish

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 December 2009

D. N. Mackenzie
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It is not yet generally accepted in European works that a distinction of grammatical gender exists in Kurdish. In the Northern group of Kurdish J dialects the Izafe appears in a number of forms, e.g. a, ā, ē, ī, and the nominal 5 oblique case ending as -ē and -ī. An analysis of these forms into a clear system, with two declensions according to grammatical gender, has been made by members of the princely family of Bedir Xan. A comparison of all the available texts in the light of their analysis serves to confirm the general validity of the paradigms and therefore of a distinction of grammatical gender, disguised to a varying extent by the generalization of certain forms. The history of a number of words of known gender suggests that the distinction is inherited.

A hitherto unexplained phenomenon is the appearance in the Central Kurdish Mukrī dialect of two forms of the nominal oblique case ending, -ē and -ī. The similarity of these forms to the corresponding Northern dialect forms is obvious. A comparison of related words in the two groups of dialects shows that in the Mukrī dialect also the difference of the forms marks a distinction of grammatical gender.

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Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies , Volume 16 , Issue 3 , October 1954 , pp. 528 - 541
Copyright
Copyright © School of Oriental and African Studies 1954

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References

page 528 note 1 The subject of this paper was first suggested in the course of one of many fruitful discussions with Prof. W. B. Henning and I must gratefully acknowledge here, albeit inadequately, the extent to which it has profited by his many and detailed criticisms and suggestions.

page 528 note 2 Grundriss der Iranischen Philologie, 1.2., p. 249.Google Scholar Bibliography, p. 253. Of the works there quoted the following are referred to in this article: Lerch, Forschungen über die Kurden, cited Lx page/line, Jaba, Becueil de notices et récits kurdes, Justi-Jaba, Dictionnaire kurde-français, cited JJ page, Prym and Socin, Kurdische Samnlungen, cited PS page/line, Makas, Kurdische Texte im Kurmānjī-Dialecte, cited Mk section/line. In some cases, which will be obvious, it has been necessary to modify in quotation the various transcriptions of different scholars.

page 528 note 3 Justi, F., Kurdische Grammatīk, St.-Petersburg, 1880, p. 127Google Scholar

page 529 note 1 op. cit., p. 276, § 155.

page 529 note 2 Capt.Jardine, E. F., Bahdinan Kurmanji, Baghdad, 1922.Google Scholar

page 529 note 3 Beidar, Abbé Paul, Grammaire Kurde, Paris, 1926.Google Scholar

page 529 note 4 Particularly Emir Djeladet Aali, Hawar—Revue Kurde, Damascus, 1931–. Each number has a full bibliography of the Kitēbxana Hawarē on the back cover. These, and the grammar (ef. fn.7), are cited generally BX.

page 529 note 5 Lescot, Roger, Texles Kurdes, 1, 2, Paris-Beirut, 1940–42.Google Scholar I, Conies, Proverbes et Enigmes, cited Lt page/line.

page 529 note 6 Mir Celadet Bedir Xan, Grammaire Kurde, Şam-Damas, 1933. Not available to me.

page 529 note 7 Langue Kurde. Eléments de Grammaire extraits des cours donnés à l'Ecole National des Langues Orientates Vivantes par L'Emir Kamuran Aali Bedir-Xan, Paris, 1953.Google Scholar

page 529 note 8 e.g. Nәṣ;ra hyḳmata şewre Ermәnistane. Komisariata Ronkaje Çbmbāti, Rәwan, 1930-. Cited generally Rwn. A number of these publications, school textbooks, are in the British Museum.

page 530 note 1 op. cit., p. vi.

page 530 note 2 ibid., pp. 241–244.

page 530 note 1 St. Matthew's Gospel, ABS, Constantinople, 1922. Transliterated by the Rev. H. H. Riggs from the Armenian script of the 1891 translation ‘ by native pastors from the region of Kharput’. cited Mat. chapter/verse.

page 535 note 1 op. oit., Pt. I, p. xx.

page 535 note 2 Mann, Oskar, Die Mundart der Mukri-Kurden I, 2, Berlin 1906–9Google Scholar(cited hereafter as MM page/line). II, p. xxvi, footnote 1.

page 537 note 1 Mann, and Hadank, , Mundarten der Gūrān, Berlin, 1930.Google Scholar Kändūläī dialect, cited G.

page 537 note 2 Mann, and Hadank, , Mundarten der Gūrān, Berlin, 1932.Google Scholar Dialect of Siverek cited SZ, of Bijaq cited BZ, and of Kor cited KZ.

page 537 note 3 Christensen, , Le dialecte de Sāmnān, Copenhagen, 1915.Google Scholar Cited Sem.

page 537 note 4 Morgenstierne, , Etymological Vocabulary of Pashto, Oslo, 1927Google Scholar, and NTS, vol. 12, pp. 88Google Scholar seq., cited Pxt. I am īndebted to Mr. G. Morrison for his advice in this connexion.

page 538 note 1 Quoted by Justi (above) from Chodzko, M. A., ‘ Etudes philologiques sur la langue kurde (dialecte de Soleimanie)’, JA, Avril–Mai 1857, p. 304Google Scholarbottom.

page 538 note 2 I am indebted to Mr. C. J. Edmonds, with whom I have been fortunate enough to study this dialect, for permission to reproduce these and later extracts from his manuscript grammatical notes.

page 538 note 3 op. cit., p. 305.

page 539 note 1 op. eit., I, pp. L et seq.

page 539 note 2 Rev.Fossum, L. O., Practical Kurdish Grammar, Inter-Synodical Ev. Lutheran Orient- Mission Society, 1919, p. 37.Google Scholar

page 541 note 1 Mann, ibid. I, pp. XLVII et seq.

page 541 note 2 ibid. I, p. LV, § 24.