The Kurdish Language: From Linguicide to Standardization
Mar 29, 2019 — 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The Canadian Centre for Studies and Research on Bilingualism and Language Planning (CCERBAL) warmly invites you to its next research forum about The Kurdish Language: From Linguicide to Standardization, presented by Jaffer Sheyholislami, Associate Professor in the School of Linguistics and Language Studies, Carleton University and Rahim Surkhi, scholar of applied linguistics and holds a Ph.D. from Salahaddin University-Erbil (Iraqi Kurdistan – KRG), specializing in Kurdish linguistics.
Abstract:
In this talk, we will provide an overview of the history and development of Kurdish language varieties in four countries: Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey. Then, language policies of these nation-states, particularly with respect to Kurdish, will be critically evaluated. We will illustrate that although Kurdish speakers continue to demand positive language rights the nation-state ideology of one nation equals one language perpetuates assimilating language management practices throughout Kurdistan.
Jaffer Sheyholislami
Associate Professor in the School of Linguistics and Language Studies, Carleton University
Jaffer Sheyholislami is Associate Professor in the School of Linguistics and Language Studies, Carleton University, Canada, where he is also the Interim Director. Sheyholislami has published extensively, in both English and Kurdish, in the areas of Kurdish language policy and planning, critical discourse studies, Kurdish linguistics, multilingual education, and communication. He is the author of the monograph Kurdish Identity, Discourse and New Media, Palgrave MacMillan, New York, 2011, and co-editor of the special issue of the International Journal of the Sociology of Language (no. 217, 2012) devoted to Kurdish sociolinguistics and language policy. In addition to numerous book chapters and encyclopedia articles, Sheyholislami has published in several peer-reviewed journals such as Language Policy, Discourse & Society, and Critical Discourse Studies. His current research concerns linguistic landscape in Canada, language policy in Iran, and language planning and lexical variation in Kurdistan.
Rahim Surkhi
scholar of applied linguistics and holds a Ph.D.
Rahim Surkhi is a scholar of applied linguistics and holds a Ph.D. from Salahaddin University-Erbil (Iraqi Kurdistan – KRG), specializing in Kurdish linguistics. He has 14 years of experience as a university professor, teaching courses within the departments of Persian language, and Kurdish Language, and supervising graduate students. A strong researcher as well, Mr. Surkhi has published 6 books, 5 academic articles and 2 chapters in edited books. Additionally, he has authored several encyclopedia entries on Kurdish issues and contributed articles to Kurdish and Persian media sites. His research focuses on applied linguistics, educational linguistics, language policy, discourse studies, and Kurdish ethnicity and culture.