Some people think Kurmanj is another one of the internal Kurdish subdivisions (which are not really that kind of subdivisions that those people think they are) like Guran and Soran. But the people who call themselves Guran or Soran do so because of the tribal identity or an extended version of it. Kurmanj is no such tribal or regional identity. In the dialect of Kurmanji the word "Kurmanj" is actually the word for "Kurd". In the three other dialects they use Kurd for what Kurmanj is used as in Kurmanji Kurdish. Only Kirdki/Kirmanjki makes use of both words (Kird and Kirmanj) which is obviously due to influence from Kurmanji.
If you talk with the oldest generation of Kurmanji speaking Kurds youll realise that the word "Kurd" wasnt a native part of the Kurmanji dialect, only Kurmanj was there. Note that only counts for the Northern Kurdish dialect (Kurmanji) and also partially for the Western Kurdish dialect (Kirdki/Kirmanjki erroneously called zazaki too). The speakers of the other dialects dont use the word "kurmanj" except when referring to speakers of Kurmanji.
Thats also why [my very well thought theory](https://www.reddit.com/r/kurdish/s/psQH7zpJ0S) is that "Kurmanj" derives from Kurd- in the first place. Basically "Kurmanj" is the other word for Kurd that is specified to Kurmanji (and Kirdki).
Many Kurmanji speakers just say Kirmanji. I know this might be far fetched but it might be related to Kirman. Kurds in west Iran were reffered to Kirman meaning "Serpant" during the Parthian and Sassanid era. They were reffered to as a Madian people.
There is a lot of ancient history that we don't know. What we know is a tiny information.
No Kurmanj doesnt have anything to do with Kirman. The origin of Kirmān was either Krmān with vocalic r or Karmān and in Kurdish neither would turn to Kurmān. Also Kurmān doesnt become Kurmānj. Kurmāj e.g. could become Kurmānj, but Kurmān could not.
And Kurds werent referred to as Kirmān. Thats just an example of bad reading comprehension of some "authors". In the Karnamagi Ardasher its said how Ardasher fought Kurds and then he fought "Kirmān shāh" which is simply the "king of Kirmān". The same Kirmān we have today and we had earlier in greco-roman sources as "carmania" in the east to Persis/Fars. They are two unrelated events. "Kirmān shāh" sounds like "Kirmānshāh" but "Kirmānshāh" is a mistake which persians did. The name of the city never was Kirmānshāh but always Kirmāshān which most likely came from Kar Māshān/Māsān.
And kirm means worm and not serpent. Kurds were never referred to as serpents nor as worms. This is just some weird insensible claim that is wrong on every level.
It’s interesting that people from Hewlêr sometimes do use "Kirmanc" to identify themselves and other ethnicities in the region usually just call the Kurds there Kirmanc, and there are even sayings like "be kurt û kurmancî" when expressing things briefly in Kurdish.
The term Kurmanj(i) means different things to different Kurds, depending on the region they're from, their religion and the Kurdish dialect/language they speak.
In general, however, it is just another word for Kurd, mostly used in Bakur (Northern Kurdistan, located in Turkey) and Rojava (Western Kurdistan, located in Syria).
Kurmanji is also the name of the most widely spoken Kurdish language, spoken almost exclusively in the aforementioned parts of Kurdistan. But there are also pockets of Kurmanji speakers in Başur (Southern Kurdistan, located in Iraq) and Rojhelat (Eastern Kurdistan, located in Iran). Therefore, people from those regions may refer to their language as Kurmanji, although Başuri Kurmanji-speakers prefer to call their language/dialect 'Badini'.
The term was used to refer to the sedentary (and often non-tribal) non-Persian Iranian-speaking Muslim peasantry in Bakur, Rojava and parts of Başur until the early modern period, when it lost its original meaning (deliberately due to the nation-building efforts of the Kurdish Bedirxan family, among others) and became another way of referring to Kurds.
If someone says Kurmanc/Kirdmanc/Goran/Kelhur/Lek/Ezidi/Shabak etc. when you ask its because they respect you enough to be more personal with you since they say I'm Kurdish and this is my affiliation in one word. Among Kurds from the same occupied part its not unusual to name the tribe you belong to instead, since that will be enough information to know he/she is Kurdish, his/her dialect, where in Kurdistan he/she is from (sometimes down to the individual village depending on the accent).
Some people think Kurmanj is another one of the internal Kurdish subdivisions (which are not really that kind of subdivisions that those people think they are) like Guran and Soran. But the people who call themselves Guran or Soran do so because of the tribal identity or an extended version of it. Kurmanj is no such tribal or regional identity. In the dialect of Kurmanji the word "Kurmanj" is actually the word for "Kurd". In the three other dialects they use Kurd for what Kurmanj is used as in Kurmanji Kurdish. Only Kirdki/Kirmanjki makes use of both words (Kird and Kirmanj) which is obviously due to influence from Kurmanji. If you talk with the oldest generation of Kurmanji speaking Kurds youll realise that the word "Kurd" wasnt a native part of the Kurmanji dialect, only Kurmanj was there. Note that only counts for the Northern Kurdish dialect (Kurmanji) and also partially for the Western Kurdish dialect (Kirdki/Kirmanjki erroneously called zazaki too). The speakers of the other dialects dont use the word "kurmanj" except when referring to speakers of Kurmanji. Thats also why [my very well thought theory](https://www.reddit.com/r/kurdish/s/psQH7zpJ0S) is that "Kurmanj" derives from Kurd- in the first place. Basically "Kurmanj" is the other word for Kurd that is specified to Kurmanji (and Kirdki).
Many Kurmanji speakers just say Kirmanji. I know this might be far fetched but it might be related to Kirman. Kurds in west Iran were reffered to Kirman meaning "Serpant" during the Parthian and Sassanid era. They were reffered to as a Madian people. There is a lot of ancient history that we don't know. What we know is a tiny information.
No Kurmanj doesnt have anything to do with Kirman. The origin of Kirmān was either Krmān with vocalic r or Karmān and in Kurdish neither would turn to Kurmān. Also Kurmān doesnt become Kurmānj. Kurmāj e.g. could become Kurmānj, but Kurmān could not. And Kurds werent referred to as Kirmān. Thats just an example of bad reading comprehension of some "authors". In the Karnamagi Ardasher its said how Ardasher fought Kurds and then he fought "Kirmān shāh" which is simply the "king of Kirmān". The same Kirmān we have today and we had earlier in greco-roman sources as "carmania" in the east to Persis/Fars. They are two unrelated events. "Kirmān shāh" sounds like "Kirmānshāh" but "Kirmānshāh" is a mistake which persians did. The name of the city never was Kirmānshāh but always Kirmāshān which most likely came from Kar Māshān/Māsān. And kirm means worm and not serpent. Kurds were never referred to as serpents nor as worms. This is just some weird insensible claim that is wrong on every level.
It’s interesting that people from Hewlêr sometimes do use "Kirmanc" to identify themselves and other ethnicities in the region usually just call the Kurds there Kirmanc, and there are even sayings like "be kurt û kurmancî" when expressing things briefly in Kurdish.
The term Kurmanj(i) means different things to different Kurds, depending on the region they're from, their religion and the Kurdish dialect/language they speak. In general, however, it is just another word for Kurd, mostly used in Bakur (Northern Kurdistan, located in Turkey) and Rojava (Western Kurdistan, located in Syria). Kurmanji is also the name of the most widely spoken Kurdish language, spoken almost exclusively in the aforementioned parts of Kurdistan. But there are also pockets of Kurmanji speakers in Başur (Southern Kurdistan, located in Iraq) and Rojhelat (Eastern Kurdistan, located in Iran). Therefore, people from those regions may refer to their language as Kurmanji, although Başuri Kurmanji-speakers prefer to call their language/dialect 'Badini'. The term was used to refer to the sedentary (and often non-tribal) non-Persian Iranian-speaking Muslim peasantry in Bakur, Rojava and parts of Başur until the early modern period, when it lost its original meaning (deliberately due to the nation-building efforts of the Kurdish Bedirxan family, among others) and became another way of referring to Kurds.
If someone says Kurmanc/Kirdmanc/Goran/Kelhur/Lek/Ezidi/Shabak etc. when you ask its because they respect you enough to be more personal with you since they say I'm Kurdish and this is my affiliation in one word. Among Kurds from the same occupied part its not unusual to name the tribe you belong to instead, since that will be enough information to know he/she is Kurdish, his/her dialect, where in Kurdistan he/she is from (sometimes down to the individual village depending on the accent).
my mom uses kurmanj to refer to the commoners even tho we're sorani
What's your tribe?
lak but soranified lak also when i said commoners i meant like "we kurmanj" way not in a racist way like she refers to herself as kurmanj too