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Ethnologue: Languages of the World
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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Asia > Iraq > Kurdish, Central

Kurdish, Central

A language of Iraq

ISO 639-3: ckb

Population  462,000 in Iraq (2004). Population total all countries: 3,712,000.
Region  South of Great Zab River, Suleimaniye, Arbil, Kirkuk, and Khanaqin and Mandali provinces. Also displaced. Diaspora communities in other areas, including western Europe, USA. Also in Iran.
Language map  Iraq
Alternate names   Kurdi, Sorani
Dialects  Hewleri (Arbili), Xoshnaw, Pizhdar, Suleimani (Silemani), Warmawa, Rewandiz, Bingird, Mukri, Kerkuki, Garmiyani.
Classification  Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Western, Northwestern, Kurdish
A member of macrolanguage Kurdish [kur] (Iraq).
Language use  Official language. Language of wider communication. Positive attitude.
Language development  Literary standard is based on Sorani (from Suleimaniye) variety. NT: 1994.
Writing system  Arabic script.
Comments  Muslim (Sunni).

Also spoken in:

Iran

Language name   Kurdish, Central
Population  3,250,000 in Iran.
Region  Northwest Iran, primarily Kordestan, west Azerbaijani provinces, areas north of Kermanshah. Mukri in Mahabad area, Sineyi (Sine’i) in Sanandaj (Sine) area.
Alternate names  Kordi, Korkora, Kurdi, Kurdy, Mokri, Mukri, Sine’i, Sorani, Wawa
Dialects  Mukri (Mokri, Kordi), Sanandaji (Sine’i, Sina’i, Sineyi), Southern Jafi, Pijdari.
Language use  Language of wider communication.
Language development  Mukri dialect also used as literary language similar to Central Kurdish (Sorani) literary language used in Iraqi Kurdistan (Hajo 1994).
Comments  90% in cities or villages, 10% nomadic. Taught at 2 universities. Kordi may also sometimes be used to refer generally to Northern Kurdish varieties (such as in Khorasan Province), and for varieties of Southern Kurdish [sdh], such as Kermanshahi [sdh]. Muslim (Sunni).
 

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

FLEISCHMAN, Eric, author. 1982. Proto-Iraqi-Kurdish.