[lg policy] Erbil: Government to implement recommendations from Kurdish language conference

[Christina Paulston]

On Oct 2, 2011, at 3:55 PM, Harold Schiffman wrote:

> Saturday, 01 October 2011, 08:42 GMT
> Government to implement recommendations from Kurdish language  
> conference
>
> The Globe
>
> 'Language, The National Identity' conference submits a list to
> ministry An academic Kurdish language conference, called 'Language,
> The National Identity,' was held at the Mahmood Zamdar Hall at Erbil
> Central Library last week.
>
> The conference, which was held under the auspices of the Kurdistan
> Region President Massoud Barzani, was attended by around 250 language
> experts and academics from all four areas of Kurdistan. The attendees
> shared their ideas about issues related to language. The major topics
> of the conference were the diversity of the Kurdish language dialects
> and making efforts to bring the various dialects closer to each other,
> agreeing on a single alphabet and finding a standard and comprehensive
> language for Kurdish.
>
> Dr. Hogir Mahmoud Faraj, language professor at Suleimaniya
> University's Kurdish Language Department, appreciated the effort by
> the Kurdistan Regional Government's Ministry of Culture and Youth.
> "This is an important effort to unify the various Kurdish dialects of
> the Greater Kurdistan and introduce language experts to all those
> dialects, so as to have an inclusive language to understand each
> other," explained Dr. Faraj in an interview with The Kurdish Globe.
> "Lack of a language policy has caused serious harm to the Kurdish
> language, and as we don't have an independent Kurdish entity, such
> conferences can help coming up with a good Kurdistani dialog for all
> the dialects of the Kurdish language."
>
> Northern Kurdistan language expert Hussein Kartal, on the other hand,
> told the Globe that Kurdistan Region has the decision-making power and
> the Kurdish language can best find its true place in society from
> strong decisions. "All other parts of Kurdistan are waiting for the
> Kurdistan Region to establish the Kurdish language, through a
> decisive, academic and reasonable verdict, as the standard language in
> the national education system at schools and universities," said
> Kartal. "Kurdistan's different dialects are in need of a symbol, which
> I believe it is the Latin alphabet.
>
> When you walk the streets of Kurdistan Region, you might lose your way
> because the road signs are written in an alphabet that is not readable
> except by Sorani Kurds."  Kartal says most of the books written in the
> Sorani dialect should be translated into the southern Kurmanci dialect
> by a dedicated committee. He says this will help those from various
> dialects understand each others' feelings and knowledge. Dr. Rahim
> Surkhi, eastern Kurdistan linguist and language professor at the
> Salahaddin University, on the other hand, believes the congregation of
> the Kurdish dialects in such conferences paves the way for the
> formulation of a unified Kurdish language.
>
> "There have existed Kurdish language elimination policies in all parts
> of Kurdistan, and they still exist in various shapes," said Surkhi in
> a Globe interview. "But culture, love and the political struggle of
> the Kurdish nation has blocked this way from the invaders." According
> to Surkhi, the KRG should convert the recommendations of the
> conference into a set of regulations and procedures and send it to all
> relevant ministries of the KRG.
>
> Regarding the conference's 14 recommendations, Nawzad Abdul Aziz
> Salih, adviser of the KRG Ministry of Culture and Youth, said all the
> recommendations formulated by the attendees and submitted to his
> ministry would be considered for implementation with coordination and
> collaboration of other relevant ministries and government
> institutions.
>
> Salih noted the implementation could not be done instantly, as there
> are related social changes. He said: "We will continue to pave the way
> for the implementation of all the recommendations of the conference."
>
>
> Profile
>
> The Kurdish language conference submitted 14 recommendations after
> four days of presentations and discussions, attended by linguists and
> academics from all four parts of Kurdistan. The recommendations were:
>
> 1. The conference requests relevant parties draft the Language Law and
> submit it to the Kurdistan Parliament.
>
> 2. Establishment of the Higher Kurdish Language Committee in Kurdistan
> Region, consisting of 20 members from all Kurdish dialects, in direct
> cooperation with Kurdistan's universities, Kurdish Academy and Kurdish
> Language Institute.
>
> 3. We recommend the KRG facilitate and support the creation of a
> Kurdish-Kurdish Dictionary, inclusive of all words and phrases of all
> Kurdish dialects in both Arabic and Latin alphabets.
>
> 4. Both Kurdish alphabets should be used in scientific, educational,
> cultural and media arenas until a unified Kurdish alphabet is applied.
>
> 5. Academic, scientific and cultural institutions should facilitate
> conducting scientific research about the Kurdish dialects.
>
> 6. Kurdish language should be used as the first language in all
> commercial, advertising and tourist matters and efforts should be made
> to use both alphabets for all road signs.
>
> 7. According to the Constitution, the Kurdish language and the Arabic
> language, are the official languages in the federal Iraq, so it
> Kurdish should be used domestically as well as in foreign relations.
>
> 8. We demand that Iran, Turkey and Syria recognize the Kurdish
> language in their constitutions and use it in the state education
> systems.
>
> 9. Efforts should be made to use the Kurdish language for technology
> and the Internet.
>
> 10. Kurdish media should prepare and present their programs in both
> alphabets, provided they use a standard unified alphabet.
>
> 11. The conference will establish a committee to follow up the
> implementation of the recommendations.
>
> 12. This conference should be held annually under the supervision of
> the KRG Ministry of Culture and Youth.
>
> 13. The conference hopes a Kurdistan national unity conference can  
> be held.
>
> 14. Kurdistan universities should facilitate the admission of students
> from other parts of Kurdistan for the language and linguistics
> departments.
>
> http://www.kurdishglobe.net/display-article.html?id=15F8093D833CBDBEE519D14697D0F202
>
> -- 
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