'Handbook of Mesopotamia. Vol. I. 1918' [‎119] (128/568)

INHABITANTS
119
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purposes, being not only generally spoken in the plains of the
Jezlreh, but being also more or less in use and understood at such
trade-centres in the northern hills as Urfeh, Mardln, Diarbekr, Sairt.
It is of course the predominant language at Mosul. At the trade-
- centre of Suleimaniyeh, while Kurdish is generally spoken, Persian
is widely understood.
Various dialects of Turkish are spoken by the Turks and
Turkomans.
Other languages are Armenian and Syriac, The latter is spoken
-fei by the Christian tribes in the highlands of central Kurdistan. See
above, p. 115.
It may be noticed that there are marked forms of patois here and
there, the result of a mixture of languages. For example, Shushtar
■ ' : and Dizful has each its own speech, apparently compounded of
Arabic, Lur, and Persian.
As regards European languages, the commercial and social pre-
w:: dominance of French in other parts of the Turkish Empire has
Amn its influence on Mesopotamia. There is a certain acquaintance
bIl lit with French to be found among members of the business class
in the chief trade-centres. The higher Turkish officials usually
had some, though often a very imperfect, knowledge of this language;
: and it has been spread by the educational work of French Catholic
.missions as well as by Jewish schools. Before the war some
knowledge of English was possessed by persons—chiefly Christians
jfJki of northern Mesopotamia—who had visited America or had been
( m £ educated in American mission schools. A few men of business
rwere acquainted with English, but it seems to have been much less
Ujjui widely known than French, even where, as at Baghdad, British
commercial influence was predominant. Since 1914 acquaintance
with English has naturally spread among the population of the area
occupied by the British.
Education
While Kerbela and Nejef are flourishing seats of Shiah religious
' C learning, the general level of education among the Mohammedans of
Mesopotamia is very low. In the elementary schools attached to the
mosques the pupils are taught to repeat, read, and copy the Koran.
• In the Holy Cities are more advanced religious schools. Turkish
^ Grovernment schools (mostly primary) existed in and near some of
the principal towns. But in subjects other than Moslem theology
and religious law the most important educational work done in the