İSTANBUL - Kurdish linguist Zana Farqînî, who stated that mother tongue is the most fundamental human right, said "All languages are as halal and sacred as your mother's milk."
Hawar Magazine, which started its publication life in Latin letters in Damascus, the capital of Syria, on May 15, 1932, became a turning point in the writing of the Kurdish language and culture. The cultural revolution initiative led by Celadet Alî Bedîrxan and his comrades 89 years ago continues to be a source of inspiration for Kurdish language and culture studies today. May 15, the anniversary of this revolution initiative, has been celebrated as the Kurdish Language Day since 2006.
On the anniversary of May 15, we talked about the importance of Kurdish with the Kurdish Linguist Zana Farqînî and the co-chair of the Kurdish Studies Association Eyüp Subaşı.
THE SACREDNESS OF LANGUAGES
Zana Farqînî, a Kurdish linguist, pointed out that there is no hierarchy between languages and emphasized that assimilation policies towards the Kurdish language should be opposed and Kurdish language must be used in daily life no matter what. Farqînî expressed that he hopes that this day will create a difference for all peoples for languages such as Kurdish, which are not the language of education and are not used in public spaces and services. Repeating that no language is superior to another, Farqînî said, "All languages are as halal and sacred as one's mother's milk."
MOTHER TONGUE IS A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT
Underlining that language is a building block that creates culture and carries it to future generations, Farqînî emphasized that culture is the basic mold that shapes people and creates a sense of belonging. Farqînî stated that a person makes sense of his world with his mother tongue and that not speaking his own language is a trauma. Drawing attention to the fact that a significant part of the world population is bilingual, Farqînî said that being multilingual has a positive effect on his mental capacity. Stating that the mother tongue of a person is their fundamental right, Farqînî underlined that using your mother tongue freely is also an indication of democracy in a country.
MA / Berfin Karaman - Enes Sezgin