Age Variable in Language Maintenance or Change: A Case Study of Kermashani Kurdish

Language change among bi/multilingual societies is an issue of global concern. The bi/multilingual context in Kermanshah has, too, witnessed a significant tendency among families to marginalize the mother tongue. The purpose of this descriptive–analytical survey is to examine the effect of the participants’ age on the extent of language change among the Kermashani Kurdish speakers in Kermanshah. The hypothesis is that there is a direct correspondence between the age of participants and maintaining their language. That is, the youth (under 20) are increasingly shifting from Kurdish to Persian. To find the answer, 384 participants (male and female in 3 groups: under 20, 20–50, and more than 50) were selected by simple random sampling to fill up the questionnaire. The framework of the research was The Domain Analysis of Fishman (1966). The data were collected from different domains (family, street and market places, office/work, school, religion, art, and hobbies) and they were analyzed by SPSS software. The findings maintained that in family domain Kurdish is used even less than in office and marketplaces domains. Furthermore, the extent of Kurdish learning as the first language in over 50 persons was 85/2 percent in family domain, but it was about 28 percent in the youngest group (under 20). On the other hand, the acquisition of Persian language as the first language has unexpectedly raised more than 10 times compared to the other 2 older groups. That can be the sign of an accelerating language change among the youth.
Introduction
The development of technology and communication in the globalized world has made the native speakers of indigenous languages use formal and prestigious languages. So, language change among bi/multilingual societies is a global concern. This tendency which is the case for Iranian native languages and dialects can really weaken their status. Kermashani Kurdish, a variety of the Kurdish language, has long been spoken in Kermanshah in the west of Iran. These days, its usage has declined in various domains and Kurdish acquisition as a mother tongue has seriously decreased among the youth. It thus can threaten its survival in Kermanshah.
The purpose of this study is to examine the participants’ age on the extent of language change among the Kermashani Kurdish speakers in this city. It also aims to study the speakers’ attitude towards their native language. The framework of the research is Fishman’s (1966) Domain Analysis, through which the language use can be measured based on setting, participants, or interlocutors. Generally, many studies conducted on language maintenance or change have addressed language change rather than language maintenance. Beck and Lam (2008) studied language shift of Totonac speakers to Spanish in Mexico. They adopted the term ‘linguistic suicide’ for the process. Habtoor (2012) studied language shift among the young Tigrinian-speaking Eritrean immigrants in Saudi Arabia. Wamaitha (2019) explored the extent of language shift among the youth in the multilingual society of Nairobi County in Kenya. Loutfi (2020) referred to the Arabization policy as the main factor for language shift in Morocco. In Iran, Bashirnezhad (2007) referred to the gradual loss of Mazandarani in Mazandaran province. Davari Ardakani and Mousakazemi (2009) mentioned that Naeini Dialect speakers in Naein are shifting to Persian. Zamani Roodsari (2010) said that the usage of Gilaki in Lahijan is rapidly decreasing.
Methods
In this research the domains of family, street and marketplaces, office/work, school, religion, art, and hobbies were considered for investigation. The main question was: What is the effect of age variable on the maintenance or change of Kermashani Kurdish in Kermanshah? The hypothesis is that there is a direct correspondence between the age of participants and maintaining their language. That is, the youth (under 20) are increasingly shifting from Kurdish to Persian. The current study is a descriptive–analytical survey that describes and analyzes the data collected through a questionnaire consisting of 32 questions. It investigates the usage of Kermashani Kurdish and Persian in different domains and the speakers’ attitude towards these languages. For this purpose, 384 subjects (male and female) were selected by Simple Random Sampling to fill out the questionnaire. The participants were equally divided into 3 groups (under 20, 20–50, and over 50 years old). The classified tables of data were described and analyzed using SPSS software.
Results
The data analysis indicated that in the family domain, Kurdish is used even less than in the office and marketplaces domains. Furthermore, the extent of Kurdish acquisition as the first language in over 50 group was 85/2 percent but in the youngest group (under 20) only 28 percent had acquired Kurdish as their first language. On the other hand, Persian language learning as the first language in this group has unexpectedly increased more than 10 times compared to the other two groups.
The language used for communication with the family members was a function of participants’ age. For example, 61 percent of the young group used Kurdish when talking to their grandparents. On the other hand, 49 percent of this group spoke with their parents in Kurdish. During communicating with their young brothers and sisters, only 7/8 percent of them use Kurdish.
As for the school domain, almost 83 percent of the students in the youngest group claimed to speak Persian with their teachers in the classroom and 79 percent of them use Persian when speaking with one another in the classroom. However, these percentages in the 20–50 group were 55 percent and 41.5 percent, respectively. The usage of language in the street and marketplaces is influenced by the social position, situation, age, and so on, of the interlocutors. However, Kermashani Kurdish usage in the youngest group has declined in contrast to the other groups. For instance, 60/2 percent of the participants under 20 years old speak with their neighbors in Persian whereas, 32 percent of 20–50 group use Persian in this context.
In the formal domain of the office, about 51 percent of the youngest group use Persian when interacting with clerks at their offices and in talking to a doctor at his or her office, about 62 percent of them speak Persian. For the 20–50 group, the above percentages are 42 and 29 percent, respectively.
The domain of religion and art are subject-oriented rather than dependent on participants or situation. Although 64 percent of the questioned persons in 20–50 group prefer Kurdish to Persian in music, only 35 percent of the youngest group prefer Kurdish.
     At the religion domain, the findings showed the dominance of Persian usage in the youngest group but only 18 percent of the 20–50 years group use Persian in worship and prayers.
Conclusion
Generally speaking, the findings of the study indicate that the youth are shifting from Kurdish to Persian. The arguments supporting this claim are as follows:

The youth tendency to use Persian implies a decrease in native speakers of Kermashani in the future.
Although the religious domain is one of the last domains for a seriously endangered language, Kermashani Kurdish in Kermanshah is not widely used in religious affairs.
The lack of a strong positive attitude toward Kermashani Kurdish in the youth signifies the lack of determination to maintain their native language. As a result, Kermanshah is experiencing an accelerating language change among the youth.

Ethical Considerations
Not applicable
Funding
Not applicable
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.