Analyzing the Degree of Familiarity and Usage of Kermani Dialects by Two Age and Gender Groups of Native Speakers

Gathering and preserving dialects is essential; however, unfortunately, with carelessness and negligence, we are witnessing the destruction of dialects in many parts of Iran. The present sociolinguistic research examined the degree of “familiarity” and “usage” of Kermani dialect words in two different age groups of native speakers including students of 18 and adults of 40-50 years old. The study was a descriptive-analytical and self-assessment questionnaire-based research.  The questionnaire data were 50 words in the Kermani dialect. The effect of variables such as age, gender and parents' level of education on the degree of “familiarity”and “usage” of Kermani words were measured. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the two groups in the familiarity and usage of native words. On the other hand, gender did not have a significant effect on the familiarity of words by 18 years old students, whereas its effect was significant on the usage of words. In the other group, the effect of gender was not statistically significant on the familiarity and usage of words. Parents' level of education had significant effect on the familiarity of words; however, only mothers’ level of education had significant effect on the usage of words by the youth.