Language profiles in Manchester

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Kurdish

Language Kurdish
Language name transliterated kurdî
Language name original script کوردی

 

Distribution Northern Iraq, Syria, Iran, Turkey
Estimated number of speakers worldwide 20-30m
Language classification Indo-European; Indo-Iranian; Northwestern Iranian;
Related to which languages Persian
Distinctive features in sounds Pharyngeal consonants (Arabic words) pronounced by moving the tongue base against the back of the throat
Distinctive features in grammar Words are inflected (grammar is represented using morphology); the verb appears at the end of the sentence; ergative language
Writing system Arabic-Persian script (Sorani); Roman script (Kurmanji)
Distinctive graphemes ç ş î û xw ژ پ ێ ۆ ڵ گ ڤ
Status Official regional language in autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq (Sorani dialect) alongside Arabic, emerging written language in Turkey, vernacular regional language in Northern Syria and Western Iran
Number of persons identifying as “main language” in England & Wales (Census 2011) 48,239
Number of persons identifying as “main language” in Greater Manchester (Census 2011) 3,656
Number of persons identifying as “main language” in City of Manchester (Census (Census 2011) 1,886
Number of persons identifying as “main language” in Greater Manchester as percentage of total in England & Wales (Census 2011) 8%
Number of persons identifying as “main language” in City of Manchester as percentage of total in England & Wales (Census 2011) 4%
Proficiency in English, self-reported in City of Manchester (Census 2011)* Can speak English very well (26%), Can speak English well (55%), Cannot speak English well (18%), Cannot speak English (2%)
Distribution in City of Manchester (Census 2011) Moss Side (235), Ardwick (156), Cheetham (155), Longsight (119), Gorton South (114)
Distribution in Greater Manchester (Census 2011) Bolton (634), Rochdale (268), Oldham (205)
First language of pupils in Manchester schools (2015) 411
Distribution in City of Manchester schools (2015) Old Moat Community Primary (18), Ladybarn Primary School (17), St. Mary’s C.E. Primary, Moss Side (17), Birchfields Primary (15), Wilbraham Primary School (14), Cheetham CofE Community Academy (14)
Total interpreter requests in Manchester’s GP practices 667
Library loans (2012/2013) 13
Library acquisitions (2012/2013) 14
M-4 interpreter requests (2012/2013) 405
Dialects of the language used in Manchester Sorani, Kurmanji-Bahdini
Other home language common among speakers Arabic, Persian, Turkish
Supplementary schools

*Percentages rounded to nearest whole number