Zazaki, Northern

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A language of Turkey

ISO 639-3
kiu
Alternate Names
Alevica, Alevija, Dımılki, Dersımki, Dersimki, Dimilki, Kirmanjki, Northern Zaza, Shar Ma, Zaza, Zazaca, Zazaja, Zazaki
Autonym
Kırmancki, So-Bê, Zonê Ma
User Population

203,000 in Turkey (2019). 3,000,000–4,000,000 speakers of Northern Zazaki and Southern Zazaki [diq] in Turkey and other countries (Paul 2009).

Location

Bingöl province: Karkiova and Kigi districts; Elazig province: Elazig merkez and Karakoqan districts; Erzincan province; Erzurum province: Cayirli district; Malatya province; Mus province: Varto district; Sivas province, Divrigi, Imranli, Kangal, and Zara districts; Tunceli province: Hozat, Nazmiye, Ovacik, Pulumur, and Tunceli merkez districts; at least 83 total villages.

Language Maps
Language Status

6b (Threatened).

Classification
Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Western, Northwestern, Zaza-Gorani
Dialects

Tunceli (Dersim), Ovacik, Hozat, Varto. Lexical similarity: 70% with Southern Zazaki [diq]. A member of macrolanguage Zaza [zza].

Typology

SOV; prepositions and postpositions; genitives, articles, adjectives relatives after noun heads; numerals before noun heads; question word replaces content word in content questions; 2 prefixes, 2 suffixes, word order distinguishes subject, object, indirect object; noun affixes indicate case; verb affixes indicate person, number, gender; ergativity; passives; causatives; comparatives; V, VC, VCC, CV, CVC, CVCC; nontonal.

Language Use

Abroad, they use Northern Zazaki for close relationships. Home, community. Some young people, all adults. Also use Turkish [tur]. Used as L2 by Northern Kurdish [kmr].

Language Development

Literacy rate in L2: School-age children to 40 years old, are literate in Turkish [tur]. Newspapers. Periodicals. Radio. TV. Videos. Dictionary. Grammar.

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Zazaki, Northern
Writing

Latin script [Latn].

Other Comments

Muslim.