internet publication of the Kurdish language

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Issues stemming from internet publication of the Kurdish language
KurdishMedia.com - By Dr Rebwar Fatah06/11/2001 00:00:00
Introduction

The Internet has provided oppressed nations with a unique opportunity to develop their issues. With Kurds the opportunities relate to the globalisation of their issue, the unification of their homeland Kurdistan, and the standardisation of Kurdish language. Undoubtedly these pursuits cannot be achieved without consequences.

As for its use today, the Internet is most effective in the unification of diaspora Kurds. To some extent this community is webbed together. But the unification of Kurdistan and the standardisation of the Kurdish language cannot be achieved without bringing Kurds from all parts of Kurdistan, South [Iraq], West [Syria], North [Turkey] and East [Iran], online.

What is promising is that the diaspora Kurds, thanks to oppressive regimes, provide a sample of divided Kurdistan with all its issues. The challenges that diaspora Kurds face are no less significant that those Kurds face in divided Kurdistan. The unification of diaspora Kurds, therefore, would be equivalent to the unification of a miniature Kurdistan, and would provide a test-case for the ultimate unification.

Diaspora Kurds can have a significant role in the internationalisation of the Kurdish issue. For the first time, in exile, Kurds from all parts of Kurdistan engaged in a debate about the destiny of their divided nation and their occupied country. Even if, sometimes, the result of this debate is disagreement, this is a vital part of unification process, facing the real issues and finally agreements. Division has its roots in Kurdish history and its eradication will not be without challenges and opportunities.

Currently, the unified language of this debate for all Kurds is English and for Kurds from North [Turkey] is Turkish. Because of the Turkish ban on Kurdish language for nearly a century, Northern Kurds have been forced to forget their language. The Kurdish political movement in the North also has not helped to develop Kurdish language in North Kurdistan. The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the dominant political force in the North, has not made the Kurdish language a prerequisite for the Kurdish national struggle. This PKK’s policy has been damaging to the Kurdish language. To date, the publication of this party is mainly in Turkish.


This language division has isolated Northern Kurds from the rest. Nonetheless, the unified language of this debate must become Kurdish, and this is not possible until a standard Kurdish language in general and a standard Kurdish language for the Internet in particular, is developed.


The issues

Publishing Kurdish on the Internet presents at least two important questions:

- Which dialect of Kurdish should be written?

- Which scripts of Kurdish should be written?


In answering these questions, we would immediately face the division of Kurdistan, hence the division of the Kurdish language. Because Kurdish language is spoken in several dialects and is written in at least two scripts, there are more than two answers to these questions. Unfortunately, none would provide a quick fix to this issue.


Why is Kurdish language written in three scripts and spoken in several dialects? This issue is not discussed here, but it is in the division of Kurdistan and the oppression of Kurds that an answer to this question will be found.


In what dialect Kurdish should be written?


Kurdish language is a member of the Indo-European language, the widest family of languages in the world. Kurdish has been accepted under the branch of the West-Iranian languages. Kurdish is close to Farsi (Persian) language.


The dialects of Kurdish have been classified in different ways. For the purpose of this article, we present a simple classification that divides Kurdish into two main family dialects:


Kurmanji dialect, which has three sub-dialects:

- North Kurmanji – known as Kurmanji

- Middle Kurmanji – known as Sorani

- South Kurmanji – known as Kurmanshahi


Gorani dialect, which has two sub-dialects:

- North Gorani – known as Zazaki or Zazaiy

- South Gorani – known as Hewrami


Whatever solution is provided must meet the requirements of the majority of the Kurdish dialects.


In what scripts Kurdish should be written?


Kurdish language today is written in three different scripts:


- Arabic-based (or Islamic-based) Kurdish

- Latin (or Roman) based on Turkish

- Cyrillic (or Russian)


Arabic is used in South, East and West Kurdistan. Latin is used in North and Cyrillic is used by Kurds living in the former Soviet Union.


Even if we discard Cyrillic script because of the relatively small proportion of Kurds using it, two main scripts for writing Kurdish language remain.


This is the main issues facing publishing Kurdish language on the Internet.


Can a solution be found?


Script issue


Using three scripts in writing a language may be seen as a significant challenge, but it is not a unique challenge. For example, the Japanese language at least uses three different scripts, Katakana, Hiragana and Kanji, which account for more that 2,000 characters.


Each of Katakana and Hiragana has 51 characters. Kanji, on the other hand, is taken from Chinese language and uses 5,000 characters which the Japanese have narrowed down to 2,000 characters.


All three Kurdish alphabets together account for less than 100 letters. Kurdish, unlike Japanese, uses three alphabets to write the same language, but Japanese uses a mixed of three types of characters to write the same language. So, in comparison to Japanese, the Kurdish challenge with its scripts is not really significant.


Several solutions can be proposed:


Today’s technology has also made the issue less significant. A computer today can write in all three scripts and a computer engine can be developed to translate one script into another. Peshraw Namo as part of KurdishMedia.com initiative has developed the concept of such engine, and it will be on KurdishMedia.com in the near future.


Kurdish intellectuals can teach themselves to write in both (or three) dialects.


But the solution is to invest in future generation. The diaspora Kurdish schools should teach children in all scripts and the schools of Kurdistan’s de facto state should start a programme to teach all scripts. If the Kurdish de facto state had started this programme 10 years ago, when it was established, all new generations would be writing in all scripts.


Standardisation issue for Kurdish using Arabic scripts


The main problem is the lack of standardisation. Anyone with some knowledge of computing can propose to save Kurds by developing yet another font for Kurdish. All they do is take one of the Arabic fonts (which are standard) and add few characters. Of course, without standardisation, many versions have emerged. This is why, when a Kurdish text is displayed in a font that does not exist on the computer, then the computer displays the text in a standard Arabic font that the Kurdish font is based on. For example, instead of a Kurdish sound “P – as in Pet” the Arabic sound “Th – for theatre” would be displayed because whoever created this Kurdish font, based the Kurdish sound of “P” on the Arabic “Th” as the latter is not needed in the Kurdish font. Unfortunately, Kurdish font designers modified different fonts to express the very Kurdish character.


Before extending this issue to the Internet, we need to understand the two types of technology that are used to provide information; HTML-driven and script-driven technology.


With HTML-driven technology, the pages have been prepared for the visitors to download. Like displaying a picture, the page contains all the information that has been uploaded. If this technology is used, a quick -fix can be achieved for the Kurdish font standardisation, albeit with a compromise. As long as the font exists on the visitors’ computers, the downloaded page can be read. If not, then the font must be downloaded from the website. This is why all Arabic-script Kurdish Internet pages ask the visitors to download the font used in producing the information. This compromise defeats the objective of the Internet. Compare this to reading English on the Internet. Even if the reader does not have the font the text is written in, it can still be read because the fonts are standardised. The beauty of this global village is that we can enjoy information without downloading any font.


HTML-driven Internet websites are rigid, expensive, and time consuming. For example, global modification of the information cannot be achieved, unlike script-driven Internet websites. They are fine for websites that do not require frequent updates and modifications. For more serious and dynamic Internet websites, script-driven technology is needed.


If script-driven technology is used, i.e. the information supported by a database, then there is no solution for Kurdish language. That is why there is not any Kurdish in Arabic script Internet websites that use databases; they are all HTML-driven.


At least two solutions can be proposed. First, the obvious one, is that Kurdish script should be standardised. Second, the modified Arabic scripts, for Kurdish purpose, that are not supported by standards, need to be replaced by standard characters. This means that different characters need to be used, instead of commonly used Kurdish sounds that do not exist in Arabic. For example, the sounds of “O – as in door” and “P – as in Pet” need to be replaced by others. This could be controversial as Kurds have been using these characters for decades.


Standardisation of the keyboard is another issue and, at present, no standard Kurdish keyboard exists.


Suitability of Latin scripts


Because Kurdish is an Indo-European language, the Latin script is most suitable for producing its sounds. Also Latin scripts are well developed for the use on the Internet. This remains to be a major obstacle in publishing Kurdish in Arabic script on the Internet.


However, if Kurdish published today in only Latin scripts, only Kurds from North and some intellectuals from other parts of Kurdistan would be able to understand. The language will remain divided. This is not an ultimate solution.


For a short term a computer engine, similar to that mentioned above, can be developed to “translate” one dialect to another. This is similar to well established translation engines that are already widely used on the Internet. These engines translate one language into another, from English to French for example.


Long-term solution


Several, perhaps parallel, steps need to be taken in order to solve these issues, some of which are revealed here:


- A Kurdish Language Standardisation Academy (KLSA) needs to be established. This must not be a political organisation promoting one party; it is an academic institution that would be consists of academic people from all walks of life.


- Centralisation of the scattered means of teaching and learning Kurdish language. Also develop new and modern means of teaching and learning Kurdish language. This can be part of the activities of the KLSA mentioned above.


- Using different scripts and different dialects as part of school curriculum in particular the diaspora schools and schools of Kurdistan de facto state.


- Establishment of a software house, as part of Kurdistan universities, in particular Kurdistan de facto state universities, to develop Kurdish language in general and for the Internet in particular.


Most of these proposals need to be initiatives of the Kurdish de facto state which is the only hope today for Kurds to establish themselves. The newly established and relatively sizable diaspora Kurdish community would also play an important role in providing resources and expertise. KurdishMedia.com has the expertise. The political will and financial support must come from Kurdistan’s de facto state. They must not shy away from this duty as no less than the future of the Kurdish nation is relying upon them.

http://www.kurdmedia.com/article.aspx?id=10438