The first step of assimilation

I remember when I was a teenager, I started to get to know more about my mother language and I wanted to practice more. I only understood my language when I was a child (but didn’t speak). I decided to practice, learn more when I gradually grew up, and I wanted to get into a fluent level. When I was in this phase in my life, I was asking my parents about the situation back when they were in school. I remember they were telling me about how they were beaten up for speaking Kurdish. This is always an example that I highlight. It might sound very simple – ‘okay, you don’t speak the country’s language’ – but it means this violence starts at a very young age, and this is where the first step of assimilation starts.

Rojda Arslan, Kurmanji and Zazakî speaker living in Germany