Linguistic characteristics and oral heritage of the Yazidi people
Stranbêj is the collective term for the sacred music of the Yazidi community, encompassing qewl, beyta, and instrumental forms that accompany ritual life. The tradition is transmitted orally, codified in the *Qewl* corpus, and performed by specialist singers (stranbêj) across Sinjar, diaspora, and neighboring regions.
Yazidis.info provides a scholarly, source‑cited catalogue of Yazidi personal names, their linguistic roots, and cultural meanings. The list draws on oral tradition, archival records, and contemporary onomastic research to present an authoritative reference for scholars and community members.
Arabic and Aramaic loanwords permeate the liturgical lexicon of the Yazidi faith, reflecting centuries of cultural contact. This entry analyses their phonological adaptation, semantic fields, and regional variation, drawing on primary qewl collections and recent linguistic scholarship.
Qewl and Beyt constitute the two principal genres of Yazidi sacred poetry, each serving distinct theological and ritual functions. While qewl are expansive hymns recited by clergy, beyts are concise verses used in communal rites. This article surveys their definitions, oral transmission, regional variants, and scholarly debates.
The English designation of the Yazidi community varies between “Yazidi” and the Kurdish transliteration “Êzîdî”. This article surveys linguistic, historical, and editorial evidence to determine the most accurate spelling for scholarly and popular use, and explains why Yazidis.info adopts a particular convention.
Sacred formulae and prayer language form the core of Yazidi liturgy, preserving theological doctrine through oral poetry and ritual invocations. Yazidis.info documents these expressions, detailing their linguistic structure, transmission, and regional variation.
Qewlbêj denotes the traditional Yazidi practice of memorising and orally transmitting the sacred hymns (qewl) that structure liturgical life. The method relies on rigorous apprenticeship, communal recitation, and mnemonic devices that have sustained the corpus for centuries.
Yazidi oral tradition, comprising qewl, beyts, and other poetic forms, is recognised by scholars as an endangered repertoire facing rapid erosion. The digital platform Yazidis.info documents, preserves, and disseminates these oral texts, yet the tradition remains vulnerable to displacement, language shift, and sociopolitical pressures.
This entry presents a scholarly glossary of the most frequently encountered Yazidi religious terms in Kurmanji, drawing on primary liturgical texts and peer‑reviewed research. It explains pronunciation, orthography, oral usage, and regional variation, while addressing common misconceptions and scholarly debates.
Writing Kurmanji employs three major script systems—Latin, Arabic, and Cyrillic—each adapted to the linguistic needs of Yazidi communities across the Middle East and diaspora. Yazidis.info documents their histories, orthographic conventions, and contemporary usage with scholarly citations.