Abstract
This paper explores the phenomenon of intergenerational linguistic inhibition among Kurds who grew up without knowledge of their ancestral language despite identifying strongly with Kurdish heritage. Drawing on sociolinguistic theory and trauma studies, it argues that the modern inability to retain or internalize Kurdish vocabulary is not a matter of individual capacity but the result of historically conditioned repression. Beginning with the language bans of the Atatürk era, Kurdish was systematically excluded from public life and stigmatized within private spheres. Over successive generations, fear of punishment and social exclusion evolved into self-censorship, leading families to suppress the language voluntarily. This internalized prohibition—what the paper terms enabled silence—continues to manifest neurologically and emotionally, impeding language acquisition even among those seeking to relearn Kurdish in adulthood. The study concludes that Kurdish language revitalization cannot rely solely on pedagogy; it requires the restoration of cultural confidence and the unlearning of imposed fear—a process of reclaiming speech as an act of freedom rather than permission.