Address Terms in Hawrami Kurdish: A Sociolinguistic and Critical Perspective

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Ph.D. in Linguistics, Teacher in Ministry of Education, Kermanshah, Iran.

2 Ph.D. in Linguistics, Teacher in Ministry of Education, Paveh, Iran.

3 Assistant Professor of Linguistics, Department of English and Linguistics, Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran.

4 Associate Professor of Linguistics, Department of English and Linguistics, Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences, Razi Universtiy, Kermanshah, Iran.

Abstract

The present study aims to investigate address terms in Hawrami, a Kurdish dialect spoken mainly in the Paveh region of western Iran. It explores how speakers of Hawrami use a variety of linguistic resources—such as kinship terms, pronouns, occupational titles, and religious titles—to indicate social roles, relationships, and values. Drawing on sociolinguistic and discourse-analytic frameworks, in particular the work of Brown and Gilman (1960), the present paper examines how the social variables such as age, gender, power, solidarity, and religious ideology shape address practices. Data were collected through ethnographic observation and interviews in Paveh. Given the lack of written documentation and the deeply contextual nature of address practices, a qualitative method based on direct observation and community-based immersion was considered the most appropriate choice. The ethnographic method is especially suitable for studying linguistic behavior in small, localized speech communities, where language usage is closely tied to cultural norms, relationships, and everyday social practices. The findings show that address forms in Hawrami do more than merely serve communicative functions; they embody cultural values and reflect broader ideological shifts, particularly those following the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran. This study contributes to the documentation of an understudied minority dialect and provides insight into the intricate relationship between language, identity, and power in multilingual and multiethnic societies.

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References

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Research in Western Iranian Languages and Dialects
Volume 13, Issue 3
September 2025
Pages 71-84

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