- Zephaniah 3:9
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For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language. That they all may call on the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one accord.
- Family of languages
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Kurdish belongs to the Indo-European family of languages. Kurdish dialects are members of the northwestern subdivision of the Iranic branch which comprises the largest family of languages in the world. The Kurdish language is independent, meaning it has its own historical development, continuity, grammatical system and rich living vocabularies. The ancient “Median” language is a forerunner to modern day Kurdish. There are an estimated 30 million people in what is considered Kurdistan, who speak different dialects of the Kurdish language. The Kurdish language is divided into three primary groups: Northern, Central, and Southern dialects. There are also two other major branches of the Dimili group called “Zaza” and the Hewrami group which may be called "Gorani" in some cases. These can be further divided into many other dialects and sub-dialects as well. Kurmanji and Badinani comprise the Northern Kurdish dialects, the Central dialects are called "Sorani," and the "Pehlewaní" and the "Pahlawanik" make up the Southern group.
- Where is Dimili spoken
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To the far north of Kurdistan along the upper courses of the Euphrates, Kizilirmaq, and Murat rivers in Turkey, the Dimílí branch of Kurdish language (less accurately but more commonly known as Zâza) is spoken by about 1.5 million Dimíli Kurds. The larger cities of Tunçeli, Bingol, and Siverek, and a large proportion of the Kurds of Bitlis, are Dimílí-speaking as well. There are also smaller pockets of this language spoken in various corners of Anatolia from Adiysman to Malâtya (Melatye) and Maras (Meres) in Northern Iraq, where the speakers are known as the Shebeks. Also in Northwest Iran, the tribes of Dumbuli and some of the Zerzas speak Dimili as well. Historically in the early medieval times the language was far more widespread. It was being spoken in all the areas now covered by the Northern Kurdish Dialects.