Kurdish |link|: Borat

Because Kurdish is a prominent Iranian language spoken by a large, stateless population across Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria—and is less widely recognized than Arabic or Persian—some viewers mistakenly labeled Borat’s language as "Kurdish." The meme gained traction on early social media platforms and forums, where users shared clips claiming, "Borat actually speaks Kurdish."

The decision to use a mix of Hebrew, Armenian, and Kurdish—rather than Kazakh—was deliberate and pragmatic: borat kurdish

The confusion often stems from Borat's "Kazakh" dialogue, which is actually a mix of several unrelated languages: Because Kurdish is a prominent Iranian language spoken

Native Kurdish speakers who have watched the film universally confirm that Borat does not speak Kurdish. Some find the association amusing; others find it frustrating, as it trivializes a distinct language spoken by over 30 million people. However, the language used in the 2006 film

Borat’s character is introduced as a journalist from Kazakhstan. However, the language used in the 2006 film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan is not Kazakh or any Turkic language. Cohen, who is Jewish, chose Hebrew as the primary basis for Borat’s speech, along with Polish words and phrases learned from his mother (a Polish-born Israeli). To most global audiences unfamiliar with Hebrew or Slavic languages, the guttural sounds and unfamiliar cadence sounded vaguely "Middle Eastern" or "Central Asian."