Editing Laki language

{{Short description|Dialect of the Kurdish language}}
{{about|the laki language|the Northeast Caucasian language|Lak language}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Laki
| nativename       = {{langx|ku|لەکی, Lekî}}
| altname          = 
| states           = [[Iran]]
| region           = Provinces of [[Hamadan Province|Hamadan]], [[Ilam Province|Ilam]], [[Lorestan Province|Lorestan]] and [[Kermanshah Province|Kermanshah]] in Iran, and scatteredly elsewhere in Iran<ref>{{e28|lki}}</ref>
| ethnicity        = [[Kurds]] ([[Lak (tribe)|Lak tribe]]), [[Hasanvand]]
| speakers         = {{sigfig|680,000|2}} 
| date             = 2021
| ref              = <ref>{{e28|lki}}</ref>
| speakers2        = 
| script          = [[Persian alphabet|Perso-Arabic script]]
| familycolor      = Indo-European
| fam2             = [[Indo-Iranian languages|Indo-Iranian]]
| fam3             = [[Iranian languages|Iranian]]
| fam4             = [[Western Iranian languages|Western Iranian]]
| fam5             = [[Western Iranian languages#Northwestern Iranian|Northwestern Iranian]]
| fam6             = [[Kurdish languages|Kurdish]]
| fam7             = [[Southern Kurdish]]{{sfnp|Anonby|2021}}
| iso3             = lki
| glotto           = laki1244
| glottorefname    = Laki
| lingua           = 58-AAC-aac
}}

'''Laki''' ({{langx|ku|له‌کی|translit=Lekî}}, {{langx|fa|لکی}}) is a [[vernacular]] that consists of two dialects; Pish-e Kuh Laki and Posht-e Kuh Laki.{{Sfnp|Anonby|2004|p=7}} Laki is considered a [[Kurdish languages|Kurdish dialect]],{{Sfnp|Anonby|2003|p=180}}{{Sfnp|Windfuhr|2009|p=587}}{{Sfnp|Schmitt|2000|p=85}}{{Sfnp|Hamzeh’ee|2009}}{{Sfnp|Dehqan|2008}} by most linguists{{sfnp|Anonby|2021}} and is spoken chiefly in the area between [[Khorramabad]] and [[Kermanshah]] in Iran by about 680,000 native speakers.<ref>{{e28|lki}}</ref>

== Geography ==
Laki is spoken in Iran and in Turkey. In Iran, the [[isogloss]] of Laki spans from [[Khorramabad]] to east of [[Kermanshah]], from [[Holeylan County|Holeylan]] to [[Harsin]].{{Sfnp|Fattah|2000|p=56}} It's the main language in [[Selseleh County|Selseleh]], [[Delfan County|Delfan]], [[Kuhdasht County|Kuhdasht]] and [[Khorramabad County|Khawa]] counties in [[Lorestan Province]],{{Sfnp|Dehqan|2008|pp=295 & 297}} including [[Oshtorinan District]] of [[Borujerd County]],{{Sfnp|Department of Studies and Planning of Lorestan Province}} and also around [[Malayer]] and [[Nahavand County|Nahavand]] in [[Hamadan Province]].{{sfnp|Vajehyab}} In [[Kermanshah Province]], it is the main language in [[Harsin County]], [[Kangavar County]], [[Sahneh County]], and in the southern halves of [[Kermanshah County]] and [[Eslamabad-e Gharb County]]. There are also Laki enclaves in Khorasan, Kerman and around 100,000 speakers in 70 villages around [[Kelardasht]] in [[Mazandaran Province|Mazandaran.]]{{Sfnp|Fattah|2000|p=57}} In [[Gilan province]], Laki is spoken by around 1,500 people.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Language distribution: Gilan Province (heritage languages) |url=http://iranatlas.net/index.html?module=module.language-distribution.gilan_heritage |access-date=23 June 2022 |website=Iran Atlas}}</ref>

In Turkey, the language is spoken by the [[Şêxbizin (tribe)|Şêxbizin]] tribe, scattered around the country.{{Sfnp|Dr. Mikaîlî|2020|pp=8–10}}

== Classification ==
The classification of Laki as a sub-dialect of [[Southern Kurdish]] or as a fourth dialect of [[Kurdish languages|Kurdish]] is unsettled,{{sfnp|Anonby|2021}} but the differences between Laki and the other Southern Kurdish dialects are minimal.{{Sfnp|Hamzeh’ee|2009}} However, linguist Fattah argues that Laki cannot be considered a dialect of Southern Kurdish since Laki is [[Ergative case|ergative]] and is thus a fourth Kurdish language.{{Sfnp|Fattah|2000|pp=55-56}}

Other linguists argue that Laki is closely related to Kurdish but refrain from deciding its place among the [[Northwestern Iranian languages]].{{Sfnp|Anonby|2004|p=7}}

Laki has also been classified as a [[Luri language|Luri]] dialect, but speakers of Luri claim that Laki is "difficult or impossible to understand".{{Sfnp|Anonby|2003|p=180}} Linguist Shahsavari points that Laki is sometimes seen as 'a transitional dialect between Kurdish and Luri'.{{Sfnp|Shahsavari|2010|p=79}}

== History ==

=== Oral literature ===
Two significant groups of Laki oral literature are religious oral literature and [[Astronomy|astronomical]] literature. The first group includes [[Shia Islam|Shia]] oral hymns and [[Yarsanism|Yarsan]] songs, while the second gives an expansive and colorful account of Laki narratives of astronomical events and their consequences, the power of the sun, moon, the week and tales on the stars. A third and less significant group of Laki oral literature are verses on nature and the daily life. In the [[folklore]] of rural areas, ''fal gərtən'' or 'tell fortunes' are very important.{{Sfnp|Dehqan|2008|p=299}}

=== Written literature ===
[[File:Kurdish manuscript in the British Library – page of a Persian–Laki dictionary, dated 1811 CE (Add MS 26319, ff. 2v–3r).jpg|thumb|Page of a Persian–Laki dictionary, dated 1811 CE.]]
The use of Laki in literary writing is a more recent phenomenon and has therefore not been considerably developed.{{Sfnp|Ahmadzadeh|2021|p=704}} Historically, the use was impeded by the status of [[Gorani language|Gorani]] as [[Koiné language|koiné]] among Kurds which meant that speakers of Laki wrote their poetry in Gorani.{{Sfnp|Dehqan|2008|pp=296 & 299}} Nonetheless, some early Laki works include the [[quatrain]] ''al-shi'r bi-l-fahlawīya'' (year 716 in [[Hijri year|hijri]]) which was preserved in a 14th-century manuscript, and ''Jang-i Hamawan'' which was a freely adapted Laki version of the [[Shahnameh]] by [[Ferdowsi]].{{Sfnp|Dehqan|2008|p=296}} [[Mele Perîşan]] (1356–1431) also wrote his [[Diwan (poetry)|diwan]] in Gorani influenced by Laki.{{Sfnp|Hamzeh’ee|1990|pp=60 & 238}}

The most well-known manzuma in Laki is ''Darcenge'' written by Sayid Nushad Abu al-Wafa'i, a fellow of [[Sultan Sahak]] and contemporary of [[Nader Shah]]. The ''Darcenge'' contained questions concerning the events taking place in the world with sophisticated answers. This period also saw many Laki versions of the [[Kalâm-e Saranjâm]].{{Sfnp|Dehqan|2008|pp=296–297}}

In addition, there are many manuscripts titled ''Kule bad'' meaning 'the continuous wind' scattered around the region. These manuscripts appeared numerously in the late 16th century and early 17th century and were used to express [[benediction]] on nature and to request a wind which was appropriate for agricultural reasons. Important names from the 18th to the 20th century include Najaf Kalhuri (1739–1799), Tirkamir (d. 1815), [[Yaqub Maydashti]],{{Sfnp|Dehqan|2016|p=118}} Mila Manuchichr Kuliwand and Mila Haqq Ali Siyahpush.{{Sfnp|Dehqan|2008|p=298}}

==Laki phonology==
{{main|Kurdish phonology}}
The phonology of Laki is identical to that of other [[Southern Kurdish]] dialects, which diverges from [[Kurmanji]] and [[Sorani]] by also having the {{IPA link|/øː/}}, {{IPA link|/oː/}} and {{IPA link|/ʉː/}}.{{Sfnp|Fattah|2000}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Vowel phonemes{{Sfnp|Mirdehghan|Moradkhani|2010|pp=513–531}}
|-
! rowspan="2" | &nbsp;
! colspan="2" | [[Front vowel|Front]] 
! rowspan="2" | [[Central vowel|Central]]
! colspan="2" | [[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
! <small>[[Roundedness|unrounded]]</small> !! <small>[[Roundedness|rounded]]</small>
! <small>[[Roundedness|unrounded]]</small> !! <small>[[Roundedness|rounded]]</small>
|- 
! [[Close vowel|Close]]
| {{IPA link|iː}}
| || {{IPA link|ʉ}}<br>{{IPA link|ɨ}}|| ||{{IPA link|ʊ}}<br>{{IPA link|uː}}
|- 
! [[Close-mid vowel|Close-mid]]
| {{IPA link|eː}} ||{{IPA link|øː}} || ||||{{IPA link|o}}<br>{{IPA link|oː}}
|- 
!  [[Open-mid vowel|Open-mid]]
| {{IPA link|ɛ}}   ||||||  |||
|- 
! [[Open vowel|Open]]
| {{IPA link|a}}  ||||  ||{{IPA link|ɑː}}||
|}

==Comparison of cognates==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! English{{Sfnp|Anonby|2004|p=20}} !! Laki !! [[Kurmanji]] Kurdish !! Khorramabadi Luri
|-
|salt || xöwa|| xwê||nəmak
|-
|oil||rîm ||rûn ||reğo
|-
|fire ||agör || agir||taš
|-
|go ||sî, re ||çû  ||ra
|-
|come ||hewt, hat ||hat ||ōma
|-
| fall|| ket|| ket ||oftā
|-
|say ||  vöt, gôt|| got||got 
|-
| hungry|| vörsönî, versörnî||birçî  ||gosna
|-
|here || îre ||vir ||īčö
|-
| there||ûre ||wir ||ūčö
|-
|}

==References==

{{reflist}}
* {{cite book
  |last=Baran
  |first=  Murat
  |title=Kurdish Grammar: Lekî Reference Book
  |publisher=Amazon publishing
  |year=2023
  |location=Kwêyeşt
  |isbn=979-8396561472
  }}

== Bibliography ==


*{{citation |last=Ahmadzadeh|first=Hashem|title=The Cambridge History of the Kurds|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|date=2021|isbn=9781108473354|editor-last=Bozarslan|editor-first=Hamit|chapter=From the Wandering Poets to the Stateless Novelists: A Short Introduction to Kurdish Literary History}}
*{{citation|last=Anonby|first=Erik John|date=2003|title=Update on Luri: How many languages?|url=http://anonby.balafon.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/jra-172-171-197.pdf|journal=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland|volume=13|issue=2|page=180|doi=10.1017/S1356186303003067|s2cid=162293895|access-date=25 May 2019|archive-date=6 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181006115225/http://anonby.balafon.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/jra-172-171-197.pdf|url-status=dead}}
*{{citation |last=Anonby |first=Erik John|title=Kurdish or Luri? Laki's disputed identity in the Luristan province of Iran  |citeseerx=10.1.1.621.4714|date=2004 }}
*{{citation |title=Atlas of the Languages of Iran A working classification |url=http://iranatlas.net/index.html?module=module.classification |website=Languages of Iran |access-date=25 May 2019|last=Anonby |first=Erik John|date=2021}}
*{{Citation|last=Dehqan|first=Mustafa|title=Zîn-ə Hördemîr: A Lekî Satirical Verse from Lekistan|date=2008|journal=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society|volume=18|issue=3|pages=295–309|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|doi=10.1017/S1356186308008523|s2cid=163008614}}
*{{citation|last1=Mirdehghan|first1=Mahinnaz|last2=Moradkhani|first2=Simin|date=2010|title=Personal Pronouns in the Kakavandi Laki Dialect of Harsin (Kermanshah, Iran)|journal=Iranian Studies|volume=43|issue=4|pages=513–531|doi=10.1080/00210862.2010.495569|s2cid=162366860}}
*{{citation|first=Mustafa|last=Dehqan|date=2016|title=A Kurdish Poem by Sayyid Ya'qūb Māydashtī|url=https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/416613|journal=[[Nûbihar]]}}
*{{citation|title=سیمای عشایر استان لرستان|url=http://www.ashayerelorestan.ir/doc/simaashayer.pdf|language=fa|publisher=تهیه وتنظیم : اداره مطالعات وبرنامه ریزی|access-date=13 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420200718/http://www.ashayerelorestan.ir/doc/simaashayer.pdf|archive-date=20 April 2021|author=Department of Studies and Planning of Lorestan Province}}
*{{citation|last= Fattah|first= Ismaïl Kamandâr|date= 2000|title= Les dialectes Kurdes méridionaux|publisher= Acta Iranica |isbn= 9042909188 }}
*{{citation |first=Gernot|last= Windfuhr |title=The Iranian Languages |date=2009 |publisher=Routledge |location=London & New York |isbn=978-0-7007-1 131-4 }}
*{{citation |last=Dr. Mikaîlî|date=2020|title=Îskana kurdên şexbezenî (şêxbizin) li Anatolîyê|url=https://birnebun.eu/hejmar/birnebunweb76.pdf|journal=Bîrnebûn|language=ku|issue=76|issn=1402-7488}}
*{{citation|last=Hamzeh’ee|first=M. Rezaa|title=Lak Tribe|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/lak-tribe|access-date=13 August 2021|date=2009|publisher=[[Iranica Online]]}}
*{{Citation|last=Hamzeh’ee|first=M. Rezaa|title=The Yaresan: A Sociological, Historical and Religio-historical Study of a Kurdish Community|publisher=K. Schwarz|date=1990|isbn=9783922968832}}
*{{citation|first=Rüdiger |last=Schmitt|title=Die iranischen Sprachen in Gegenwart und Geschichte|date=2000|isbn=3895001503|location=200|language=de}}
*{{citation |title=Lakī and Kurdish* |journal=Iran & the Caucasus |date=2010 |volume=14 |issue=1 |doi=10.1163/157338410X12743419189423|last=Shahsavari |first=Faramarz |pages=79–82 }}
*{{Citation|title=لکی|url=https://www.vajehyab.com/wiki/لکی|access-date=14 June 2021|author=Vajehyab|language=fa}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite journal |title=پسوندهای فعلی گویش لکی هرسینی |journal=Naqd-i Zabān Va Adabīyyāt-i Khārijī |date=2013 |volume=1 |issue=1 |url=https://doaj.org/article/4d2172f1aba34a648d9ad1b3bbafdb4a |access-date=26 May 2019 |publisher=Shahid Beheshti University |language=fa |issn=2008-7330}}
*{{cite book |author1=Jacques de Morgan |title=Études Linguistiques - Dialectes Kurdes - Langues et dialectes du nord de la Perse |pages=3–4|date=1904 |publisher=Imprimerie Nationale |location=Paris |url=http://bnk.institutkurde.org/images/pdf/SEVYPRNLMC.pdf |access-date=27 May 2019 |language=fr|author1-link=Jacques de Morgan }}
*{{cite journal |first1=Mahinnaz |last1=Mirdehghan| first2=Nuri |last2=Mohammad |title=Grammatical tense in Laki Nurabadi Dialect: A dichotomous tense structure |journal=International Journal of Language Studies |date=2010 |volume=4 |issue=2|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/49593228 |access-date=26 May 2019 |issn=2157-4898}}
*{{cite journal |author1=Sedigheh Moradi |title=Laki verbal morphosyntax |date=2015 |url=https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/2a1a/2297520b9bee8420c1cae3ed9331cd0ec693.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526112053/https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/2a1a/2297520b9bee8420c1cae3ed9331cd0ec693.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2019-05-26 |access-date=26 May 2019 |publisher=University of Kentucky UKnowledge|s2cid=61887199 }}

{{Incubator|code=lki|language=Laki}}

{{Kurdish languages}}
{{Iranian languages}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laki Language}}
[[Category:Languages of Iran]]
[[Category:Lak (tribe)]]
[[Category:Kurdish language]]
[[Category:Languages of Kurdistan]]
[[Category:Languages of Turkey]]