The Romance of Kura Kachar کوره که چه ر

The Kurdish word kachal که جه ل meaning: bald, hairless head marked with wounds or scars, or affected with ringworm or a bald-head bird of prey  sisark- kachal is generally, no term for bald because of the dominance of the original word kal کال  meaning bald and its degree of formality. Kachal is often used in informal context. The final [l] is turned into [r] in the dialect of Rawanduz as usual.

However, kachal can be seen as a derivative of kal with the dimunitive suffix –cha from kal-cha which could easily become kachal in allegro speech augmented later with the element –l, a common marker of pejorativ notions. (see Garnik Asatrian – Marginal Remarks on the History of some Persian words

http://rbedrosian.com/Asatrian/Asatrian_2012_Marginal_Remarks.pdf

The Kurdish word kalla كلّه another informal (pejorative referrig to a big head but often used when hitting a ball or somebody / something with the head) word for the neutral sar سه ر (top of the) head / skull is probably a derivative from kal extended by [a] if not from a totally different Iranian word because it was borrowed into different Oriental languages.

My mother used to repeat a Kurdish saying from Rawanduz which goes as follows and which made me always crave a ringworm scar on my head:

سه رئ که چه را

ئه چنه باغه را

Literally: ringworm heads  go inside pockets (breasts) - meaning ugly men are loved by (beautiful) women. Ringworm infection was common in Rawanduz. The facination with ringworm heads probably came from a scar left by the infection. Men used to be nicknamed kachal even after treatment.The ringworm head is a Kurdish romance. A kurdish song tells the story of a ringworm head  (boy) courting a girl:

She:

Ringworm head go away from here

if my six brothers come here

They will stab you with daggers

By God lady I will not go from here

Even if your six brothers come here

To stab me with daggers

Till I get enough of kisses 

کوره که چه ل برو لئره

هه ر شه ش برام بینه ئئره

به خه نجه ران ئه ت که ن گئره

به خوا زه ریئ ناروم لیره

هه ر شه ش برات بینه ئئره

به خه نحه را بمکه ن گیره

هه تا نه که م ماچت تئره

Jamshid

Bremen, 29 December 2015