Iranian Languages and Dialects, Part IX: KURDISH Summary In this episode, I explored the rich tapestry of Kurdish languages and their historical evolution. I ‎delved into how Kurdish literary expression was once predominantly poetic, reflecting a broader ‎trend among Iranian languages, such as Pashto and various Iranian dialects. As we moved into the ‎‎20th century, a more diverse range of Kurdish literature began to emerge, with Kurmanji and ‎Sorani becoming the principal written dialects. Sorani, in particular, is notable for its official status ‎in Iraq.‎ I also examined the Zaza-Gorani languages, spoken by ethnic Kurds but not classified as Kurdish ‎in the linguistic sense. While some sources group Zaza-Gorani with Kurdish under the ‎‎"Northwestern" category, others place Kurdish separately in the "Kermanic" grouping. Despite ‎Gorani’s distinctiveness from Northern and Central Kurdish, it shares vocabulary and ‎grammatical features with them, and was a significant literary language up until the 20th century.‎ Keywords ‎#KurdishLanguages; #ZazakiGorani; #Kurmanji; #Sorani; #IranianDialects; ‎‎#LanguageClassification; #KurdishLiterature; #Hawrami; #CentralKurdish; #ZazaGoraniDebate; ‎‎#Linguistics; #KurdishIdentity‎