Document Type : Research

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Literature, Alzahra University, Urmia Campus, Urmia, Iran

2 M.A. in Linguistics, Department of Educational Sciences, School of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran

Abstract

This article examines the impact of gender, age, and education on the attitudes of Kurdish speakers in Mahabad towards standard Persian and the Kurdish language. Since people’s emotions towards their own or others’ languages are related to their language attitudes, this important component plays a significant role in measuring success in language planning, learning speed, language selection and use, and predicting the extinction or sustainability of a language. The study’s statistical population consisted of 80 Kurdish-Persian bilinguals in Mahabad who were randomly selected. This study is situated within the theoretical framework of sociocognitive linguistics, and the research perspective was measured through an indirect method (matched-guise test). After distributing the questionnaire and conducting the matched-guise test, the collected data were analyzed. The results of the statistical analysis showed that the variables of gender, age, and education in Mahabad had no significant impact on the attitudes of bilingual Kurdish speakers towards standard Persian and the Kurdish language. The Kurdish speakers of Mahabad exhibited numerically positive attitude towards the standard Persian language compared to Kurdish language, but no significant difference in terms of any of the mentioned variables was observed between the two languages under study.

Keywords

Main Subjects

  1. Ahmadi, S., & Zandi, B. (2018). The study of the position and application of Persian and Kurdish languages in Uramanat from the point of view of social linguistics. Quarterly Professional Journal of Social Sciences, 12(43), 133-164. https://jss.shoushtar.iau.ir/article-543049-en-html.
  2. Ahmadkhani, M. R., Najafiyan, A., & Kamari, M. R. (2015). Comparative Study of the Status and Use of Persian and Kurdish Bilinguals in Shirvani Cherdavel. Language Related Research, 5 (5), 43-63. http://lrr.modares.ac.ir/article-14-8465-en.html.
  3. Allport, G.W. (1935). Attitudes. In C.Murchison (Eds.), Handbook of social psychology (pp. 798–844). Worcester, MA: Clark University Press.
  4. Anisfeld, M., Bogo, N., & Lambert, W. E. (1962). Evaluational reactions to accented English speech. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 65(4), 223–231. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0045060.
  5. Ashari, Salahaddin. (2017). The Study of the Status and Use of Kurdish and Persian language in Marivan. The 3rd National Conference of New Researches in the Field of Humanities and Social Studies in Iran. 654-926. https://civilica.com/doc/654926.
  6. Cargile, A. C., Giles, H., Ryan, E. B., & Bradac, J. J. (1994). Language attitudes as a social process: A conceptual model and new directions. Language & Communication, 14(3), 211-236. https://doi.org/10.1016/0271-5309(94)90001-9.
  7. Esmaili, M. R., Bashirnezhad, H., & Roohi Moghaddam, M. (2008). The Study of the Status and Use of Mazandarani and Speakers’ Attitudes in Amol (Findings of a Field Research). Human Science, 56, 197-224. https://elmnet.ir/doc/1029009-15233.
  8. Faqih, F. (2010). The Study of the Use of Persian language in Sanandaj and Baneh city [Master’s thesis, Payame Noor University].
  9. Fereidoni, J. (2003). A sociolinguistic study on multilingualism: A domain analysis perspective. Working Papers of the Linguistics Circle, 17, 21-28. https://journals.uvic.ca/index.php/WPLC/article/view/5161.
  10. Haapea, R. (1999). Attitudes towards varieties of the English language and their speakers held by Finnish students. http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-1999813157.
  11. Kircher, R. (2009). Language attitudes in Quebec: A contemporary perspective ((Publication No. 123456789/479) [PhD dissertation, Queen Mary University of London]. https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/497.
  12. Lambert, W. E., Hodgson, R. C., Gardner, R. C., & Fillenbaum, S. (1960). Evaluational reactions to spoken languages. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 60(1), 44–51. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0044430.
  13. Mozafari, SH. (2014). The attitude of the speakers of Fars province towards the Shirazi variety and the standard Persian variety: a socio-cognitive research on the varieties of Persian [PhD Dissertation, Research Institute of Humanities and Cultural Studies].
  14. Pirouzfar, M., & Eliasi, M. (2014). The Study of Cognitive and Affective Language Attitudes of Kurdish-Persian Bilinguals Towards Standard Persian Based on Mentalist Approach. Journal of Western Iranian Languages and Dialects, 2(6), 27-46. https://journals.razi.ac.ir/article_388.html.
  15. Pishghadam, R., & Sabouri, F. (2011). A Quantitative Survey on Iranian English Learners’ Attitudes toward Varieties of English: World English or World Englishes? English Language and Literature Studies, 1(1), 86. https://doi.org/105539/ells.v1n1p86.