Why is it illegal to speak Kurdish in Turkey?

Answer 1

I wonder how much does it take to be such a stupid to formulate such a dumb question... PLEEEAASEEE... go get a life or find a girl friend before your stupidity takes you over

Answer 2

First off, you should do some search before asking absurd questions like this as Kurdish has never been illegal in Turkey. In fact, there was no real Kurdish language untill recently but rather artificially created. The so called Kurdish language is the "Kirmanchi language", which is linguistically connected to other various languages, all of which collectively are known as "Kurdish". As a Linguist, I can freely state that, no two dialects of the same language can differ this much in such a small territory in such a little time. The differences between the so called dialects supersede that between Spanish and Italian, and one so called dialect is mostly unintelligible to others. Thus, all those so called dialects that would make up the Kurdish language are actually different languages on their own merits as Kurds are not and have never been a "nation" and but a group of related peoples, each with distinct cultural backgrounds, out of whom the Kirmanchi have come to be the dominant one today (or artificially things are channelled this way to create a common nation).
In Turkey, there are dozens of spoken language like this, and it's nothing but diversionist to recognize official each of them, and everyone is free to speak their own language. However, different languages under the umbrella of Kurdish were (not banned but) oppressed for a few decades untill 1990s, not without reason, but because of merciless Kurdish Terrorism, led by PKK, which cost 40.000 lives of innocent lives. If that would happen in a Western country, I'd love to see what would happen to the so called freedom and democracy! Imagine Turks would kill 40.000 Germans and other countries would pressure German for taking strict measures against Turks!!!

Think without prejudices, and with a freedom of mind please.

Answer 3

I will begin by telling you a story. Some years ago Welsh nationalists asked London to let them use their own language. London agreed that Welsh will be the first language in Wales and all education would be in that language, English being taught as a foreign or second language. Welsh people protested that their children would not stand a good chance agains the English when taking the GCE exams (universitiy entrance). So they went back to using English.
Some Kurd nationalists in Turkey made similar requests, but not to the Turkish government. They applied to some European countries! Kurdish has never been an illegal language in Turkey. The fact is that different groups of Kurds spean different dialects and cannot understand each other unless both speak Turkish.
Sometimes the ignorance, bias, and hypocrisy of some westerners is sickening. They only believe in what they want to believe.
Question: How free are the Turkish minorities in EU member states Bulgaria and Greece in using their language and practising their religion?

Answer 4

I have friends in south eastern anatolia..Not kurdish...But as I know in the universities for example where they are working there are so many kurdish, who earn money, so I dont think that they dont have rights there.
They have also radio station if I am not wrong.
And once I was in Turkey, especially in marmaris, I saw a band of boys, and they were speaking so loud and laughing in kurdish.My friend told me that they were from there..But I didnt see anyone to arrest them..So I think this is exagerated

Answer 5

It is no longer illegal to speak Kurdish in Turkey.

Answer 6

To speak Kurdish is not illegal in Türkiye.

And I have few questions to Darrenj:

If there is really a pressure or bans against Kurdish people in Türkiye;
What was Turgut Özal's origin?
What is Abdülkadir Aksu's origin?
Do u know how many Kurdish origin deputies in Turkish Parliament?

Also you have to be so ignorant to compare Basques and Kürts.

Answer 7

It isn't illegal. It's unofficial, i.e. all official issues must be in Turkish, like English (+ sometimes Spanish) in USA, German in Germany, English & French in Canada etc.

You can speak Kurdish "in the street" which means among your friends, relatives. There is also a TV-broadcast in Kurdish.

Answer 8

it is not illegal to speak kurdish.
there is kurdish tv for a hour every week , but it is reall stupid. they broadcast all of the news allready known and it is so hard to understand that even kurdish people read the turkish subtiles to understand it.

Answer 9

it has never n ever been illegal to speak kurdish in turkey. it is not the official language. like spanish in the us. actually in the eastern part, childeren learn to speak kurdish first than turkish. most of the older women do not know much of a turkish.
i did my college thesis on turkey and the minorities. in fact in turkey there is a great respect for different cultures than most the "developed-states (with great democracy!)"
but there is strong biased opinions againt them which i believe they will have hard time to change.

daarrenj i do not know your experience but by your comment spain should not have entered the EU either but i do not see anyone opposing that. as a person studying EU in maastricht (netherlands), i believe our EU policy becomes shockingly hypocritical when it comes to turkey. in our newly member latvia they do not give right to vote or even citizenship to the russian speaking minorities.

Answer 10

There are many people who talks Kurdish where i live. This is legal of course. But official language is Turkish and people must talk offical language at official relations like us.

Answer 11

As others said, it's not illegal. This is one of the wrong ideas people have about Turkey. God knows what other wrong ideas you have. Maybe, you would like to reconsider your opinion about Turkey seeing that what you have been told is not always true.