Table of Kurdish Unified Alphabet

To address the communication challenges caused by the existence of multiple Kurdish writing systems, the Kurdish Academy of Languages (KAL) has developed the Kurdish Unified Alphabet (KUAL), also known as Yekgirtú. This alphabet is designed based on the International ISO-8859-1 Standards and is compatible with most Unicode representations. The primary goal of KUAL is to create a unified and standardized writing system that simplifies communication across the diverse Kurdish-speaking communities and enhances digital literacy in the Kurdish language.

Why KUAL? The Need for a Unified Kurdish Alphabet

Historically, the Kurdish language has been written in several scripts, including Arabic, Cyrillic, and Latin-based alphabets, depending on the region and political influences. These different writing systems have created barriers in communication, education, publishing, and digital content creation among Kurds from different regions and dialects. The lack of a standardized writing system has often led to miscommunication and difficulties in preserving and promoting the Kurdish language and culture.

KAL recognized that to unify Kurdish speakers across different regions—spanning Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Syria, and the diaspora—a common writing system that is both accessible and compatible with modern technology was essential. KUAL was developed to address these needs by standardizing Kurdish orthography in a way that is easy to learn, type, and disseminate digitally.

Key Features of the Kurdish Unified Alphabet (KUAL)

The KUAL is a modern, Latin-based alphabet that incorporates minor but significant changes to the existing Latin-based Kurdish alphabets. It introduces new signs to enhance the flexibility and precision of the Kurdish writing system, allowing it to accurately represent the sounds of various Kurdish dialects. Some key features include:

1. Compatibility with International Standards: KUAL is based on ISO-8859-1 standards and is fully supported by Unicode, making it easy to use on the internet, in word processors, and across all digital platforms. This compatibility ensures that Kurdish content can be created, shared, and preserved without technical barriers.

2. Phonemic Consistency: KUAL aims for phonemic consistency, meaning that each letter or combination of letters consistently represents the same sound (phoneme) across different dialects. This is particularly important in a language with as much dialectal diversity as Kurdish.

3. Expanded Character Set: The KUAL introduces new diacritics and modified letters to account for sounds that are unique to Kurdish and are not easily represented by the standard Latin alphabet. These additions allow for a more precise and accurate transcription of spoken Kurdish.

4. Ease of Use and Accessibility: The alphabet has been designed to be simple and user-friendly, making it easier for both native speakers and new learners to adopt. Its design facilitates easy typing on standard keyboards and use in digital communication, helping to bridge the gap between traditional Kurdish writing and modern digital needs.

5. Support for All Kurdish Dialects: While Kurdish dialects such as Kurmanji, Sorani, and Hewramí differ significantly in pronunciation and vocabulary, KUAL provides a unified system that can accommodate these differences. It allows speakers of all dialects to write in a way that is recognizable and readable by others.

Promoting Kurdish Language Revitalization

The development of KUAL is a part of KAL’s broader mission to revitalize and promote the Kurdish language for future generations. By offering a unified and modern writing system, KUAL encourages more Kurds to write, publish, and communicate in their language. It also fosters a sense of unity and cultural identity among Kurdish speakers, despite geographic and political divisions.

KUAL and Digital Transformation

KUAL’s design makes it ideal for the digital age. It is compatible with various operating systems, software, and online platforms, ensuring that Kurdish speakers can seamlessly use their language on social media, websites, and other digital spaces. This is crucial for ensuring the Kurdish language keeps pace with the global shift towards digital communication.

Learn KUAL with Audio Pronunciations and Comparisons

To help users learn and adopt KUAL, we provide an interactive list of the KUAL letters along with audio pronunciations of vowels. This resource is invaluable for both new learners and fluent speakers looking to familiarize themselves with the new alphabet.

At the bottom of this page, you will also find additional links that allow you to compare KUAL with other existing Kurdish alphabets, as well as with Arabic, Persian, and Turkish alphabets. These comparisons help users understand the advantages of KUAL in achieving a unified and standardized Kurdish writing system.

Explore the History: A Kurdish Orthography Timeline

For those interested in the evolution of Kurdish writing systems, we provide a comprehensive Kurdish Orthography Timeline that dates back to the 1780s. This timeline details the various codification attempts and efforts to standardize Kurdish orthography over the centuries, leading to the creation of KUAL as a modern solution.

1. The mid-open Vowel Phonemes ⟨ i ⟩ never comes at the start of any Kurdish words but some loan words.
2. The Consonant Phonemes in positions 13, 16, 23, 25 are digraphs (combined phonemes) with no exceptional usage and will be treated as a single letter at all time.
3. The velar ⟨ ll ⟩ is for non-initial positions only ⟨ ll ⟩, in Kurdish Velar L never comes in initial position.
4. The trill ⟨ rr ⟩ in position 23 is for non-initial positions only, R in initial position in any Kurdish words is pronounced as a Trill ⟨ R ⟩
   
5. A Kurdish Orthography TIMELINE
6. TABLE 1: Unified Kurdish Consonant Phonemes
7. TABLE 2: Unified Kurdish Vowel Phonemes
8. See a comparison of the Current Practised Kurdish Alphabets.
9. See a comparison of Kurdish, Persian, Arabic and Turkish Alphabet
10. Kurdish Unified Alphabet (KUAL) System, ISO 8859-1 character set

By Dilan MR Roshani