ABSTRACT
The origin of the Kurds is uncertain, although many scholars believe them to be the descendants of various Indo-European tribes which settled in the area as many as 4000 years ago. Whatever their exact origin, it is clear that racially the Kurds constitute a mixture of various groupings, the result of earlier invasions and migrations. The Turkish Kurds use the Kunnanji and Zara dialects which are, for the most part, mutually unintelligible. The states in which Kurds live probably undercount them for obvious political reasons. In partial explanation for the widely differing population estimates one should note that, given the assimilation into Turkish society undergone by many Kurds, it is not unreasonable for the Turkish government to consider “Turkish”, many whom others might call “Kurdish.” In modem Turkey there can be no doubt that a significant number of historically ethnic Kurds have been completely assimilated into Turkish society and no longer even speak Kurdish.
