While studying Kurdish for my exams, I have noticed different reactions to my efforts to learn Kurdish. It seems that a lot of Kurds still have an internalized inferiority complex which dismisses their own culture and language as inferior to other languages. This is the result of years being a minority dominated by another culture. This also explains why Kurds are so proud of their Kurdish Arab Idol candidate.
Kurds often love Youtube video’s in which foreigners sing or speak in Kurdish or when there are Kurds who are successful in sports, business, etc, although they might not even call themselves Kurds. That’s why Kurds are also so proud of Parwas Hussein who participates in Arab idols and hope this will get Kurds more recognition among Arabs, although Parwas is not even an Arab.
Since I am studying the MA Kurdish Studies, I have to learn both Kurdish dialects Kurmanci and Sorani. When I tell local Kurds about this, the reaction is often mixed. Some really appreciate that an European is learning Kurdish and feel proud that an European is learning Kurdish. Moreover, they often complain that Arabs who live here do not learn the language. Furthermore, some Kurds dismiss my efforts and suggest I am better off learning Arabic, Persian or Turkish and think Kurdish is useless. Both are signs of an inferiority complex.
Some foreign journalists, experts and others, also often tell me its better for me to learn Arabic, since it is more widespread. But I often dismiss them and say its more important for me to learn good Kurdish (although I am not good in it yet). Despite of this, I realize it is clearly in my benefit to learn both Arabic, Persian, Turkish and the Kurdish dialects to really understand the Kurdish issue, but it is almost impossible.
A lot of those who call themselves experts on the Kurdish issue, often do not speak Kurdish that well, and consulates in the Kurdistan region, often depend on the translations and second-hand sources of others. But now many foreigners who work in Kurdistan mostly for economical benefits, are trying to learn the Kurdish language. Although there is still the need to develop professional language services for Kurdish for foreigners, not only on teaching English to Kurds.
This shows there is no more need to feel inferior to other cultures and institutions in the West now also more and more start to recognize Kurdish as an important language in the Middle East.
Therefore, I earlier suggested in a column for Rudaw that Kurds should follow the example of Fethullah Gülen movement that promotes Turkish language through Turkish language Olympics and create their own Kurdish language Olympics in order to combat this inferiority complex..
Moreover, there could be more funding and efforts to develop Kurdish language institutes both in Kurdistan and Europe.
Kurds often love Youtube video’s in which foreigners sing or speak in Kurdish or when there are Kurds who are successful in sports, business, etc, although they might not even call themselves Kurds. That’s why Kurds are also so proud of Parwas Hussein who participates in Arab idols and hope this will get Kurds more recognition among Arabs, although Parwas is not even an Arab.
Since I am studying the MA Kurdish Studies, I have to learn both Kurdish dialects Kurmanci and Sorani. When I tell local Kurds about this, the reaction is often mixed. Some really appreciate that an European is learning Kurdish and feel proud that an European is learning Kurdish. Moreover, they often complain that Arabs who live here do not learn the language. Furthermore, some Kurds dismiss my efforts and suggest I am better off learning Arabic, Persian or Turkish and think Kurdish is useless. Both are signs of an inferiority complex.
Some foreign journalists, experts and others, also often tell me its better for me to learn Arabic, since it is more widespread. But I often dismiss them and say its more important for me to learn good Kurdish (although I am not good in it yet). Despite of this, I realize it is clearly in my benefit to learn both Arabic, Persian, Turkish and the Kurdish dialects to really understand the Kurdish issue, but it is almost impossible.
A lot of those who call themselves experts on the Kurdish issue, often do not speak Kurdish that well, and consulates in the Kurdistan region, often depend on the translations and second-hand sources of others. But now many foreigners who work in Kurdistan mostly for economical benefits, are trying to learn the Kurdish language. Although there is still the need to develop professional language services for Kurdish for foreigners, not only on teaching English to Kurds.
This shows there is no more need to feel inferior to other cultures and institutions in the West now also more and more start to recognize Kurdish as an important language in the Middle East.
Therefore, I earlier suggested in a column for Rudaw that Kurds should follow the example of Fethullah Gülen movement that promotes Turkish language through Turkish language Olympics and create their own Kurdish language Olympics in order to combat this inferiority complex..
Moreover, there could be more funding and efforts to develop Kurdish language institutes both in Kurdistan and Europe.
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