The Yazidi Diaspora’s Impact on Du‘a Vocabulary: Loanword Integration and Evolution

The Encyclopedia of Minority Religions provides scholarly, peer‑reviewed entries that document the dynamic traditions of lesser‑studied faiths. This article investigates how the Yazidi diaspora has altered the du‘a (prayer) vocabulary by incorporating loanwords from host societies.

Du‘a (Kurmanji: du‘a) refers to the set of formal prayers recited by Yazidis in ritual contexts; it is a core component of Yazidi liturgy that has historically been transmitted orally in Kurmanji Kurdish.

Pronunciation & orthography

Kurmanji spelling: du‘a; Arabic‑script: دُعا; Cyrillic (Kurdish in former USSR): дӯа. IPA: /duˈʔa/. Common English misspellings include “dua”, “du’a”, and “duaa”.

Main exposition

Historical stability of du‘a before large‑scale migration

Prior to the 20th‑century upheavals, du‘a remained remarkably stable, with the core corpus of 70 qewl (hymns) and numerous beyts (short verses) preserved in the Sinjar plateau (Kreyenbroek 2005). The oral nature of transmission limited external lexical influence, as most prayers were memorized in a closed community.

Diaspora waves and linguistic contact

Three major diaspora waves—post‑World War I displacement, the 1990s exodus after the Iraqi Gulf War, and the post‑2014 displacement following ISIS atrocities—placed Yazidis in contact with Arabic‑speaking Iraq, Turkish‑speaking Turkey, Persian‑speaking Iran, and European languages (Açıkyıldız 2018). Each contact zone introduced lexical items that fulfilled semantic gaps in du‘a, especially for modern concepts such as “hospital”, “school”, and “human rights”.

“When I first heard the word *‘madrasa’* in a prayer whispered in Germany, I realized the old du‘a could no longer express the children’s education without borrowing.” – Oral testimony, Yazidi refugee, 2017.

Scholars note that loanwords tend to enter du‘a through two pathways: (1) direct borrowing by community elders who heard the term in daily life, and (2) mediated borrowing via hymn‑writers (qewwal) who adapt the lexicon to address contemporary suffering (Kreyenbroek 2005; Açıkyıldız 2018).

Semantic domains most affected

Medical terminology (e.g., *‘doktôr’* from Turkish *doktor*), legal terminology (*‘qānûn’* from Arabic *قانون*), and technological terms (*‘kompîtêr’* from English *computer*) have become embedded in du‘a recited during rites of healing and protection (Mansur 2021). These loanwords are often phonologically adapted to Kurmanji patterns, preserving the prayer’s rhythmic integrity.

Mechanisms of integration

Integration follows a predictable pattern: (a) initial code‑switching in informal prayer gatherings, (b) selective retention when the borrowed term fills a lexical void, (c) eventual standardization through written transcriptions by diaspora scholars (Yazidi Academy, 2022). The process mirrors broader patterns of lexical borrowing in minority languages under diaspora pressure (Fishman 1991).

In the oral tradition

The qewl corpus contains explicit references to linguistic adaptation. In the beyṭ “Qewla Serê Şêxan”, a verse records the community’s plea for protection using the Arabic‑derived *‘bāzār’* (market) when describing economic hardship (Kreyenbroek 2005). This demonstrates that even before the 21st century, limited borrowing occurred, albeit on a much smaller scale.

“Bê şêwirmendî, bāzārê me dîtin, çavê xwe li ser me dîtin.” – Translation: “Without guidance, we saw our market, our eyes turned upon us.” (Kreyenbroek 2005, 112)

Scholarly disagreement

Kreyenbroek argues that loanword integration is a natural, inevitable outcome of diaspora life and does not threaten the theological integrity of du‘a (2005). In contrast, Açıkyıldız cautions that excessive borrowing may dilute the sacred character of the prayers, advocating for a purist revival of original Kurmanji terms (2018). A third perspective by Mansur suggests a middle ground, emphasizing functional adaptation while preserving core theological vocabulary (2021).

Common misconceptions

Regional variation

In Sinjar and Sheikhan, Arabic loanwords dominate due to long‑standing interaction with Iraqi Arabic speakers. In Turkish‑border villages, Turkish borrowings such as *‘çay’* (tea) and *‘ev’* (house) appear in du‘a recited during communal meals. Syrian Yazidis incorporate Syrian Arabic *‘ḥamām’* (bath) and occasionally Armenian loanwords from historic contacts. The Caucasus diaspora, especially in Georgia, shows Russian influence with terms like *‘spasibo’* (thank you) subtly entering ritual gratitude expressions. European diaspora communities tend to adopt English‑derived words for modern concepts, e.g., *‘computer’* → *‘kompîtêr’* (Mansur 2021).

Timeline

Data table