The Investigation of a Coded Language: Ghosh Dili or Ayereh Dil in the Sarui Clan of the Qashqai Tribe

In some tribes of Qashqai, apart from the Turkish language, there is also a conventional language. Qashqais call this language "Qoush Dili" (the language of birds) or "Ayiri Dil" (a language that others cannot understand). In this research, while introducing the coded language of Sarui clan of Qashqai, we investigate the word-making processes and some social and practical features of this language. The data were collected through field method, interview, and a questionnaire. The questionnaire was adopted from National Language Atlas Plan of Iran Permon (2006). Then, the data were analyzed according to the processes of word formation and the characteristics of Calvet’s (2009) secret language. The results were largely consistent with the proposed features of Calvet. The distinguishing feature of Ayiri Dil from Qashqai Turkish is its words. Vocabulary processes in this language include invention, borrowing, and synthesis. The results of the analysis largely agree with the characteristics proposed by Kalveh (2008). The distinguishing feature of Ayerri Dale from Qashqai Turkish is its words. Word formation processes in this language include invention, borrowing and combination. The arrangement of sentence elements as well as verbs, prepositions, and numbers is in accordance with Qashqai Turkish. The verbs in this language are made of a combination of conventional words and auxiliary verbs.