Dialogue seminar in Qamishlo about language and importance of mother tongue education

The Directorate of Education in Qamishlo organized a seminar to commemorate Kurdish Language Day, which falls on May 15th. Teachers from the city participated in the seminar, held in the Directorate's hall.

The seminar began with a minute of silence, followed by an introduction to the seminar's themes by Mizgin Hassan, a lecturer in the Department of Kurdish Literature (Sorani Dialect and Linguistics) at Rojava University.

The seminar focused on the concept of language and linguistics, as well as Kurdish dialects and their characteristics. Emphasis was placed on the importance of mother tongue education for societies and peoples.

Participants affirmed that language represents a system of communication and interaction among peoples, a true testament to human existence and history, and a fundamental part of peoples' identity and culture.

They pointed out that each language has its own unique system of sentence structure and grammatical construction, distinguishing it from other languages. They further explained that the Kurdish language possesses rich and diverse linguistic characteristics.

They pointed out that the Kurdish language, specifically the Kurmanji dialect, contains 31 letters and more than 40 sounds, in addition to verbs used only in one tense, and variations in verb conjugation among different Kurdish dialects.

The seminar also addressed the issue of naming things in languages, with participants explaining that terms and names are linked to societal consensus, and that any term is considered linguistically correct as long as the community agrees on its use and understanding.

The teachers highlighted the development witnessed in the Kurdish-language education sector during the years of the Rojava Revolution, emphasizing the importance of continuing education in the mother tongue as a fundamental right and a necessary path in raising and educating future generations.

In conclusion, the seminar addressed the challenges and difficult phases faced by teachers during the educational journey in the regions of North and East Syria, and the experiences that accompanied the development of Kurdish-language education in recent years. It stressed the necessity of constitutional recognition of the Kurdish language in Syria.

Sh-S

ANHA