Shabaki language

Shabaki
شەبەکی
Native toIraq
RegionMosul
EthnicityShabaks
Native speakers
250,000 (2018)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3sdb
Glottologshab1251

Shabaki is an Indo-Iranian language and belongs to the subgroup Zaza-Gorani[2][3][4][5] of the Northwestern Iranian languages. The Shabaki language is spoken by the Shabak people[6][7] in the Mosul region of northern Iraq. It has similarities with the Northwestern Iranian language Gorani (or Hawrami), which is often referred as a "Kurdish dialect", although the Kurdish languages form an independent group within the Northwestern Iranian languages. Shabaki is a distinct language.[8][9][10] It also has elements of Arabic, Turkish and Persian language.[5][11] The number of speakers of Shabaki was estimated in 1989 to be between 10,000 and 20,000.[12] Currently, the number of native speakers of Shabaki is estimated at 250,000.[13] As Shabaki is one of the Zaza–Gorani languages, it is most similar to other languages in the Northwestern Iranian branch like Gorani (Hewrami), Bajelani, Sarli and Zazaki.

Shabaki is a language in its own right and not a spoken dialect of any other language, with its own vocabulary and pronunciations, despite the fact that words from many other languages have entered into it as a result of the geographical nearness to other ethnic tribes.[14]

  1. ^ Shabaki at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) Closed access icon
  2. ^ a b "Zaza-Gorani". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2018-10-22.
  3. ^ a b Hulst, Harry van der; Goedemans, Rob; Zanten, Ellen van (2010). A Survey of Word Accentual Patterns in the Languages of the World. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 9783110196313.
  4. ^ Hindo, Walid A. (2016-09-08). From Baghdad on the Tigris to Baghdad on the Subway. Archway Publishing. ISBN 9781480834033.
  5. ^ a b Gunter, Michael M. (2018-02-20). Historical Dictionary of the Kurds. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781538110508.
  6. ^ Abd al-Jabbar, Falih. Ayatollahs, sufis and ideologues: state, religion, and social movements in Iraq. University of Virginia 2008.
  7. ^ Sykes, Mark. The Caliphs' last heritage: a short history of the Turkish Empire
  8. ^ Löwer, Hans-Joachim (2015-02-16). Die Stunde der Kurden: Wie sie den Nahen Osten verändern (in German). Styriabooks. ISBN 9783990403549.
  9. ^ Hann, Geoff; Dabrowska, Karen; Townsend-Greaves, Tina (2015-08-07). Iraq: The ancient sites and Iraqi Kurdistan. Bradt Travel Guides. ISBN 9781841624884.
  10. ^ al-Lami, Mina (2014-07-21). "Iraq: The minorities of Nineveh". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-10-25.
  11. ^ "Shabak - Minority Rights Group". Minority Rights Group. Retrieved 2018-10-22.
  12. ^ Ethnologue about Shabaki
  13. ^ "Shabak - Minority Rights Group". Minority Rights Group. Retrieved 2018-10-27.
  14. ^ Glenewinkel, Klaas. "The Shabak - A Brief Overview". Niqash. Retrieved 2018-10-26.