Robert Frier Jardine

Robert Frier Jardine, (1894–1982), was a British colonial administrator, diplomat, military officer and Kurdish linguist. He served in Mesopotamia, Iraq and Mandatory Palestine between 1917 and 1948, holding a number of senior administrative posts concerned with frontier affairs, land settlement and water administration. He is best known for his linguistic study Bahdinan Kurmanji, one of the earliest modern grammars of the Bahdinani dialect of Kurdish.

Early life and education

Jardine was born in 1894 and was educated at Downing College, Cambridge.

Military service

Following the outbreak of the First World War, Jardine joined the British Army as a second lieutenant. He served at Gallipoli, in Egypt and in Mesopotamia.

The grammar has also attracted attention among Kurdish language activists and researchers.

The Encyclopaedia Iranica identifies Jardine as one of the early figures in the British tradition of Kurdish studies.

He was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1928.

Personal life

Jardine spoke both Kurdish and Arabic.

He died in 1982.

Publications

Jardine, Robert Frier (1922). Bahdinan Kurmanji: A Grammar of the Kurmanji of the Kurds of Mosul Division and Surrounding Districts of Kurdistan. Baghdad: Government Press.