Location of Berber varieties in Northern Africa. North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa Algeria ( ar [[Arabic]] الجزائر, Al Jaza'ir ælʤæˈzæːʔir Amazigh: ⴷⵥⴰⵢⴻⵔ Dzayer) officially the People's Tunisia (تونس Tūnis officially the Tunisian Republic ( is a country located in North Africa. Libya ( ليبيا ar-Latn Lībiyā; Libyan vernacular: Lībya; Amazigh:) officially the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Mauritania (موريتانيا Mūrītāniyā officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a country Niger ( or /ˈnaɪdʒɚ/) officially the Republic of Niger, is a Landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. Western Sahara ( Arabic: الصحراء الغربية; transliterated: as-Ṣaḥrā' al-Gharbīyah; Sahara Occidental is a territory Mali, officially the Republic of Mali (République du Mali is a Landlocked nation in Western Africa. List of language familiesA language family is a group of Languages related by descent from a common ancestor called the Proto-language of that family The Afro-Asiatic languages constitute a Language family with about 375 languages ( SIL estimate and more than 300 million speakers spread throughout North Africa Guanche is an Extinct language, which used to be spoken by the Guanches of the Canary Islands until the 16th or 17th century Zenaga (autonym Tuḍḍungiyya) is a Berber language spoken by some 200 to 300 people (Ethnologue estimate 1998 between Mederdra and the Atlantic The Eastern Berber languages belong to the Afro-Asiatic family and are spoken in Libya and Egypt. The Northern Berber languages are a language continuum across the Maghreb that form a sub-family within the Berber languages. Tuareg (or Tamasheq/Tamajaq/Tamahaq) is a Berber language or family of closely related languages spoken by the Tuareg, in many parts of Mali ISO 639-2 is the second part of the ISO 639 standard, which lists codes for the representation of the names of languages North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan
Tashelhiyt	Central Morocco Tamazight
Tarifit	Chenoua
Kabyle	Chaouia
Tamasheq	Saharan Berber

The Berber languages (Berber: , Tamazight) are a group of closely related languages mainly spoken in Morocco, Algeria, Niger, Mali and Libya. A language is a dynamic set of visual auditory or tactile Symbols of Communication and the elements used to manipulate them Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa Algeria ( ar [[Arabic]] الجزائر, Al Jaza'ir ælʤæˈzæːʔir Amazigh: ⴷⵥⴰⵢⴻⵔ Dzayer) officially the People's Niger ( or /ˈnaɪdʒɚ/) officially the Republic of Niger, is a Landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. Mali, officially the Republic of Mali (République du Mali is a Landlocked nation in Western Africa. Libya ( ليبيا ar-Latn Lībiyā; Libyan vernacular: Lībya; Amazigh:) officially the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab A relatively sparse population extends into the whole Sahara and the northern part of the Sahel. The Sahara (الصحراء الكبرى aṣ-ṣaḥrā´ al-kubra, "The Great Desert" is the world's largest hot Desert and the world's second largest See also Sahel Tunisia, a region of eastern Tunisia. The Sahel or Sahel Belt (from Arabic ساحل sāḥil They belong to the Afro-Asiatic languages phylum. The Afro-Asiatic languages constitute a Language family with about 375 languages ( SIL estimate and more than 300 million speakers spread throughout North Africa There is a strong movement among speakers of the closely related northern Berber languages to unite them into a single standard Tamazight. The Northern Berber languages are a language continuum across the Maghreb that form a sub-family within the Berber languages.

Among the Berber languages / Tamazight are Central Morocco Tamazight, Tarifit or Riffi (northern Morocco), Kabyle (Algeria) and Tashelhiyt (central Morocco). For a correct Tifinagh font display please install this IRCAM font Rifi redirects here for the location of the same name in Greece, see Rifi Greece Tarifit is a Northern Berber language Kabyle is a Berber language (Kabyle Ṯaqbayliṯ,, ˌθæqβæjˈlɪθ spoken by the Kabyle people Tashelhiyt (also Tashelhit or Tachelhit or Tachelhiyt or Shilha, native name tašlḥiyt, French: tachelhit Tamazight has been a written language, on and off, for over 2000 years, although the tradition has been frequently disrupted by various invasions. It was first written in the Tifinagh alphabet, still used by the Tuareg; the oldest dated inscription is from about 200 BC. Tifinagh ( in Neo-Tifinagh Tifinaɣ in Berber Latin alphabet, tifinaɣ is an Alphabetic script used by some Africans to write their language The Tuareg (also Twareg or Touareg, Amazigh: Imuhagh / Itargiyen, besides regional ethnyms are a Nomadic Later, between about 1000 AD and 1500 AD, it was written in the Arabic alphabet (particularly by the Shilha of Morocco); since the 20th century, it has often been written in the Latin alphabet, especially among the Kabyle. The Arabic alphabet is the script used for writing several languages of Asia and Africa such as Arabic, Persian, and Urdu. Tashelhiyt (also Tashelhit or Tachelhit or Tachelhiyt or Shilha, native name tašlḥiyt, French: tachelhit Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa A variant of the Tifinagh alphabet was recently made official in Morocco, while the Latin alphabet is quasi-official in Algeria and official in Mali and Niger; however, both Tifinagh and Arabic are still widely used in Mali and Niger, while Tifinagh and Latin scripts are increasingly being used in Morocco. Tifinagh ( in Neo-Tifinagh Tifinaɣ in Berber Latin alphabet, tifinaɣ is an Alphabetic script used by some Africans to write their language Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa Algeria ( ar [[Arabic]] الجزائر, Al Jaza'ir ælʤæˈzæːʔir Amazigh: ⴷⵥⴰⵢⴻⵔ Dzayer) officially the People's Mali, officially the Republic of Mali (République du Mali is a Landlocked nation in Western Africa. Niger ( or /ˈnaɪdʒɚ/) officially the Republic of Niger, is a Landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River.

After independence, all the Maghreb countries to varying degrees pursued a policy of "Arabization", aimed primarily at displacing French from its colonial position as the dominant language of education and literacy. The Maghreb (المغرب العربي al-Maġrib al-ʿArabī) also rendered Maghrib (or rarely Moghreb) meaning "place of Sunset French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people But under this policy the use of Amazigh / Berber languages has been suppressed or even banned. This state of affairs has been contested by Berbers in Morocco and Algeria — especially Kabylie — and is now being addressed in both countries by introducing Berber language in some schools and by recognizing Berber as a "national language" in Algeria,^[1] though not an official one. This article focuses on the region in Algeria For the ethnic group see Kabyle people. A national language is a Language (or language variant, ie Dialect) which has some connection - de facto or de jure - with An official language is a Language that is given a special legal status in a particular Country, State, or other territory No such measures have been taken in the other Maghreb countries, whose Berber populations are much smaller. In Mali and Niger, there are a few schools that teach partially in Tamasheq. Mali, officially the Republic of Mali (République du Mali is a Landlocked nation in Western Africa. Niger ( or /ˈnaɪdʒɚ/) officially the Republic of Niger, is a Landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. Tuareg (or Tamasheq/Tamajaq/Tamahaq) is a Berber language or family of closely related languages spoken by the Tuareg, in many parts of Mali

Nomenclature

The term Berber has been used in Europe since at least the 17th century, and is still used today. It was borrowed from the Arabic designation for these populations, البربر, el-Barbar. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language The latter might have been derived from the Arabic or Persian words "barbakh"/"barbar" and "khanah", a house or guard on the wall. Despite the phonetic resemblance, the term has probably nothing to do with the Latin barbarus, which was used by the Romans to refer to non-Roman tribes of the Roman Empire (see Barbarian). Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial "Barbarian" is a pejorative term for an uncivilized person either in a general reference to a member of a nation or Ethnos perceived Although the Berbers obviously fell under that definition, Romans usually called them under more specific names, such as "Numidians" or "Mauri". Numidia (202 BC – 46 BC was an ancient Berber kingdom in present-day Algeria and part of Tunisia ( North Africa) that later alternated In Antiquity Mauretania was originally an independent Berber kingdom on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa (named after the The Egyptians referred to them as Rebu (= Libu), or Meshwesh, the ancient Greeks as "Libyans", the Byzantines as "Mazikes". Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now The Meshwesh (often abbreviated in ancient Egyptian as Ma) were an Ancient Libyan (i The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca Ancient Libya was the region west of the Nile Valley. It corresponds to what is now generally called Northwest Africa.

As far as languages are concerned, the term Tamazight has recently gained ground over Berber, particularly to refer to Northern Berber languages, just like "Amazigh" is used to refer to a native Berber speaker. The Northern Berber languages are a language continuum across the Maghreb that form a sub-family within the Berber languages. Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. In Western languages Tamazight can also (somewhat misleadingly) be used specifically to refer to the Central Morocco Tamazight dialect, closely related to Tashelhiyt. For a correct Tifinagh font display please install this IRCAM font Tashelhiyt (also Tashelhit or Tachelhit or Tachelhiyt or Shilha, native name tašlḥiyt, French: tachelhit Etymologically, it means "language of the free" or "of the noblemen. " Traditionally, the term "tamazight" (in various forms: "thamazighth", "tamasheq", "tamajeq", "tamahaq") was used by many Berber groups to refer to the language they spoke, including the Middle Atlas, the Rif, Sened in Tunisia, and the Tuareg. For the Eleventh Century Talmudist see Isaac Alfasi The Rif ( Berber: Arabic:جبال الريف is a mainly mountainous Tunisia (تونس Tūnis officially the Tunisian Republic ( is a country located in North Africa. The Tuareg (also Twareg or Touareg, Amazigh: Imuhagh / Itargiyen, besides regional ethnyms are a Nomadic However, other terms were used by other groups; for instance, many parts of western Algeria called their language "taznatit" or Zenati, while the Kabyles called theirs "thaqvaylith", the inhabitants of Siwa "tasiwit", and the Zenaga. The Zenata are one of the main divisions of the medieval Berbers, along with Senhaja and Masmuda. The Siwa Oasis (واحة سيوة Wāḥat Sīwah, from Berber Siwa "prey bird protector of the sun god Amon-Ra Zenaga (autonym Tuḍḍungiyya) is a Berber language spoken by some 200 to 300 people (Ethnologue estimate 1998 between Mederdra and the Atlantic In Tunisia, the local Berber languages are usually referred to as "Shelha". "Tuddhungiya"[1]. Around the turn of the century, it was reported that the Zenata of the Rif called their language "Zenatia" specifically to distinguish it from the "Tamazight" spoken by the rest of the Rif.

One group, the Linguasphere Observatory, has attempted to introduce the neologism "Tamazic languages" to refer to the Berber languages. The Linguasphere Observatory ( Observatoire Linguistique) is a language research network A neologism (from Greek neo = "new" + logos = "word" is a word that although devised relatively recently in a specific time period has been

Origin

Tamazight is a member of the Afro-Asiatic language family (formerly called Hamito-Semitic), along with such languages as Hausa, Hebrew, Arabic, and Maltese. The Afro-Asiatic languages constitute a Language family with about 375 languages ( SIL estimate and more than 300 million speakers spread throughout North Africa The Afro-Asiatic languages constitute a Language family with about 375 languages ( SIL estimate and more than 300 million speakers spread throughout North Africa Hausa is the Chadic language with the largest number of speakers spoken as a first Language by about 24 million people and as a second language by about 15 Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Maltese (Maltese Malti is the National language of Malta, and a co-official language of the country alongside English,

Population

The exact population of Berber speakers is hard to ascertain, since most North African countries do not record language data in their censuses. The Ethnologue provides a useful academic starting point; however, its bibliographic references are inadequate, and it rates its own accuracy at only B-C for the area. Ethnologue Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International (formerly known as the Summer Institute of Linguistics a Christian Early colonial censuses may provide better documented figures for some countries; however, these are also very much out of date.

"Few census figures are available; all countries (Algeria and Morocco included) do not count Berber languages. The 1972 Niger census reported Tuareg, with other languages, at 127,000 speakers. Population shifts in location and number, effects of urbanization and education in other languages, etc. , make estimates difficult. In 1952 A. Basset (LLB. 4) estimated the number of Berberophones at 5,500,000. Between 1968 and 1978 estimates ranged from eight to thirteen million (as reported by Galand, LELB 56, pp. 107, 123-25); Voegelin and Voegelin (1977, p. 297) call eight million a conservative estimate. In 1980, S. Chaker estimated that the Berberophone populations of Kabylie and the three Moroccan groups numbered more than one million each; and that in Algeria, 3,650,000, or one out of five Algerians, speak a Berber language (Chaker 1984, pp. 8-9). "[2]

• Morocco: In 1952, André Basset ("La langue berbère", Handbook of African Languages, Part I, Oxford) estimated that a "small majority" of Morocco's population spoke Berber. Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa The 1960 census estimated that 34% of Moroccans spoke Berber, including bi-, tri-, and quadrilinguals. In 2000, Karl Prasse cited "more than half" in an interview conducted by Brahim Karada at Tawalt. com. According to the Ethnologue (by deduction from its Moroccan Arabic figures), the Berber-speaking population is estimated at 35% (1991 and 1995). However, the figures it gives for individual languages only add up to 7. 5 million, or about 28%. Most of these are accounted for by three dialects:
  • Tarifit: 7 million (1991)
  • Tachelhit: 6 million (1998)
  • Central Morocco Tamazight: 5 million (1998)

This nomenclature is common in linguistic publications, but is significantly complicated by local usage: thus Tachelhit is sub-divided into Tachelhit of the Dra valley, Tasusit (the language of the Souss) and several other (mountain)-dialects. Rifi redirects here for the location of the same name in Greece, see Rifi Greece Tarifit is a Northern Berber language Tashelhiyt (also Tashelhit or Tachelhit or Tachelhiyt or Shilha, native name tašlḥiyt, French: tachelhit For a correct Tifinagh font display please install this IRCAM font Moreover, linguistic boundaries are blurred, such that certain dialects cannot accurately be described as either Central Morocco Tamazight (spoken in the Central and eastern Atlas area) or Tachelhit.

Mohamed Chafik claims 80% of Moroccans are Berbers. Mohamed Chafik (born 17 September 1926 in Ayt Saden close to Fes) is a Moroccan writer especially interested in the Berber heritage of his country It is not clear, however, whether he means "speakers of Berber languages" or "people of Berber descent".

• Algeria: In 1906, the total population speaking Berber languages in Algeria (excluding the thinly populated Sahara) was estimated at 1,305,730 out of 4,447,149, ie 29%. Algeria ( ar [[Arabic]] الجزائر, Al Jaza'ir ælʤæˈzæːʔir Amazigh: ⴷⵥⴰⵢⴻⵔ Dzayer) officially the People's (Doutté & Gautier, Enquête sur la dispersion de la langue berbère en Algérie, faite par l'ordre de M. le Gouverneur Général, Alger 1913. ) The 1911 census, however, found 1,084,702 speakers out of 4,740,526, ie 23%; Doutté & Gautier suggest that this was the result of a serious undercounting of Chaouia in areas of widespread bilingualism. Chaouia (Chaouia θšawiθ or Hšawiθ) is the eponymous Berber language spoken by the Chaoui people of eastern Algeria A trend was noted for Berber groups surrounded by Arabic (as in Blida) to adopt Arabic, while Arabic speakers surrounded by Berber (as in Sikh ou Meddour near Tizi-Ouzou) tended to adopt Berber. Blida ( البليدة) is a city in Algeria. It is the capital of Blida Province, and it is located about 45 km south-west of Algiers, Tizi Ouzou (in Kabyle: Tizi Uzzu in Latin script, in Tifinagh) is a city in Kabylia, Algeria, where it ranks second it In 1952, André Basset estimated that about a third of Algeria's population spoke Berber. The Algerian census of 1966 found 2,297,997 out of 12,096,347 Algerians, or 19%, to speak "Berber. " In 1980, Salem Chaker estimated that "in Algeria, 3,650,000, or one out of five Algerians, speak a Berber language" (Chaker 1984, pp. 8-9). According to the Ethnologue, more recent estimates include (by deduction from its Algerian Arabic figures) 17% (1991) and 29% (Hunter 1996). The actual figures it gives for Berber languages, however, only add up to about 14 million, more than 45%. Most of these are accounted for by two dialects:
  • Kabyle: 6 million (2007), or 20% of the population - or "up to" 5 million (1998), which would be more like 20% and they live especially in Algiers, Bejaia, Tizi -Ouzou, Setif and Boumerdes.
  • Chaouia: 5 million (2007), thus 18% of the population and they live in Batna, Khenchela, Sétif, Souk Ahras, Oum-El-Bouaghi, Tebessa
  • Tuareg almost 1 million they live in south of Algeria
• Tunisia: Basset (1952) estimated about 1%, as did Penchoen (1968). Chaouia (Chaouia θšawiθ or Hšawiθ) is the eponymous Berber language spoken by the Chaoui people of eastern Algeria The Tuareg (also Twareg or Touareg, Amazigh: Imuhagh / Itargiyen, besides regional ethnyms are a Nomadic Tunisia (تونس Tūnis officially the Tunisian Republic ( is a country located in North Africa. According to the Ethnologue, there are only 26,000 speakers (1998) of a Berber language it calls "Djerbi" (But which Tunisians call "Shelha") in Tunisia, all in the south around Djerba and Matmata. Djerba (also transliterated as Jerba, Jarbah or Girba جربة is with its 514 km² the largest Island off North Africa Matmâta is a small village in southern Tunisia. Some of the local Berber residents live in traditional underground "troglodyte" structures The more northerly enclave of Sened apparently no longer speaks Berber. This would make 0. 3% of the population.
• Libya: According to the Ethnologue (by deduction from its combined Libyan Arabic and Egyptian Arabic figures) the non-Arabic-speaking population, most of which would be Berber, is estimated at 4% (1991, 1996). Libya ( ليبيا ar-Latn Lībiyā; Libyan vernacular: Lībya; Amazigh:) officially the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab However, the individual language figures it gives add up to 162,000, ie about 3%. This is mostly accounted for by languages:
  • Nafusi in Zuwarah and Jabal Nafusa: 141,000 (1998).
  • Tahaggart Tamahaq of Ghat: 17,000 (Johnstone 1993). For the Indian mountains see Ghats. Ghat (غات is a city in the municipality of Ghat in remote south-western Libya
• Egypt: The oasis of Siwa near the Libyan border speaks a Berber language; according to the Ethnologue, there are 5,000 speakers there (1995). This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Its population in 1907 was 3884 (according to the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica); the claimed lack of increase seems surprising. The Encyclopædia Britannica is a general English-language encyclopaedia published by Encyclopædia Britannica Inc
• Mauritania: According to the Ethnologue, only 200-300 speakers of Zenaga remain (1998). Mauritania (موريتانيا Mūrītāniyā officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a country Zenaga (autonym Tuḍḍungiyya) is a Berber language spoken by some 200 to 300 people (Ethnologue estimate 1998 between Mederdra and the Atlantic It also mentions Tamasheq, but does not provide a population figure for it. Tuareg (or Tamasheq/Tamajaq/Tamahaq) is a Berber language or family of closely related languages spoken by the Tuareg, in many parts of Mali Most non-Arabic speakers in Mauritania speak Niger-Congo languages. The Niger-Congo languages constitute one of the world's major language families, and Africa 's largest in terms of geographical area number of speakers and number
• Mali: The Ethnologue counts 440,000 Tuareg (1991) speaking:

Tamasheq: 250,000

Tamajaq: 190,000

• Niger: The Ethnologue counts 720,000 Tuareg (1998) speaking:

Tawallamat Tamajaq: 450,000

Tayart Tamajeq: 250,000

Tahaggart Tamahaq: 20,000

• Burkina Faso: The Ethnologue counts 20,000 - 30,000 Tuareg (SIL 1991), speaking Kidal Tamasheq. Mali, officially the Republic of Mali (République du Mali is a Landlocked nation in Western Africa. The Tuareg (also Twareg or Touareg, Amazigh: Imuhagh / Itargiyen, besides regional ethnyms are a Nomadic Tuareg (or Tamasheq/Tamajaq/Tamahaq) is a Berber language or family of closely related languages spoken by the Tuareg, in many parts of Mali Tuareg (or Tamasheq/Tamajaq/Tamahaq) is a Berber language or family of closely related languages spoken by the Tuareg, in many parts of Mali Niger ( or /ˈnaɪdʒɚ/) officially the Republic of Niger, is a Landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. The Tuareg (also Twareg or Touareg, Amazigh: Imuhagh / Itargiyen, besides regional ethnyms are a Nomadic Tayart is a dialect of the Tuareg language Tamasheq spoken in the Agadez area of Niger. Burkina Faso (bɚˌkiːnəˈfɑːsoʊ burr-KEE-na FAH-soh) also known by its short-form name Burkina, is a Landlocked nation in West Africa The Tuareg (also Twareg or Touareg, Amazigh: Imuhagh / Itargiyen, besides regional ethnyms are a Nomadic SIL International (the official name of what was originally the Summer Institute of Linguistics) is a worldwide U However the Ethnologue is very inaccurate here appearing to miss the largest group of Tamasheq in Burkina in the province of Oudalan. The Tamasheq speaking population of Burkina is nearer to 100,000 (2005), with around 70,000 Tamasheq speakers in the province of Oudalan, the rest mainly in Seno, Soum, Yagha, Yatenga and Kadiogo provinces. About 10% of Burkina Tamasheq speak a version of the Tawallamat dialect.
• Nigeria: The Ethnologue notes the presence of "few" Tuareg, speaking Tawallamat Tamajaq. Nigeria, officially named the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal Constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal The Tuareg (also Twareg or Touareg, Amazigh: Imuhagh / Itargiyen, besides regional ethnyms are a Nomadic
• France: The Ethnologue lists 537,000 speakers for Kabyle, 150,000 for Central Morocco Tamazight, and no figures for Tachelhit and Tarifit. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. For a correct Tifinagh font display please install this IRCAM font Tashelhiyt (also Tashelhit or Tachelhit or Tachelhiyt or Shilha, native name tašlḥiyt, French: tachelhit Rifi redirects here for the location of the same name in Greece, see Rifi Greece Tarifit is a Northern Berber language For the rest of Europe, it has no figures.
• Spain: A majority of Melilla's 80,000 inhabitants, and a minority of Ceuta's inhabitants, speak Berber[3]. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Melilla is an autonomous city of Spain located on the Mediterranean, on the North African coast Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain located on the Mediterranean, on the North African side of the Strait of Gibraltar, which
• Israel: A few thousand elderly Moroccan-born Israelis use Judeo-Berber dialects. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa Judeo-Berber is a term used primarily for the Berber varieties traditionally spoken by the Jewish communities of certain parts of central and southern Morocco

Thus, judging by the not necessarily reliable Ethnologue, the total number of speakers of Berber languages in the Maghreb proper appears to lie anywhere between 14 and 20 million, depending on which estimate is accepted; if we take Basset's estimate, it could be as high as 25 million. The Maghreb (المغرب العربي al-Maġrib al-ʿArabī) also rendered Maghrib (or rarely Moghreb) meaning "place of Sunset The vast majority are concentrated in Morocco and Algeria. The Tuareg of the Sahel add another million or so. The Tuareg (also Twareg or Touareg, Amazigh: Imuhagh / Itargiyen, besides regional ethnyms are a Nomadic See also Sahel Tunisia, a region of eastern Tunisia. The Sahel or Sahel Belt (from Arabic ساحل sāḥil

Grammar

Nouns in Berber languages / Tamazight vary in gender (masculine vs feminine), in number (singular vs plural) and in state (free state vs construct state). In Linguistics, grammatical genders, sometimes also called Noun classes are classes of nouns reflected in the behavior of associated words every noun must belong In the case of the masculine, nouns generally begin with one of the three vowels of Berber, a, u or i:

afus "hand"

argaz "man"

udem "face"

ul "heart"

ixf "head"

iles "tongue"

While the masculine is unmarked, the feminine (also used to form diminutives and singulatives, like an ear of wheat) is marked with the circumfix t. A diminutive is a formation of a Word used to convey a slight degree of the root meaning smallness of the object or quality named encapsulation intimacy or endearment In Linguistics, singulative number and collective number are terms used when the Grammatical number for multiple items is the unmarked form A circumfix is an Affix, a Morpheme that is placed around another morpheme . . t. Feminine plural takes a prefix t. . .  :

afus → tafust

udem → tudemt

ixf → tixft

ifassn → tifetussin

Berber languages / Tamazight have two types of number: singular and plural, of which only the latter is marked. In linguistics grammatical number is a Grammatical category of nouns pronouns and adjective and verb agreement that expresses count distinctions (such as "one" Plural is a Grammatical number, typically referring to more than one of the Referent in the real world Plural has three forms according to the type of nouns. The first, "regular" type is known as the "external plural"; it consists in changing the initial vowel of the noun, and adding a suffix -n:

afus → ifasen "hands"

argaz → irgazen "men"

ixf → ixfawen "heads"

ul → ulawen "hearts"

The second form of the plural is known as the "broken plural". In Grammar, a suffix (also postfix, ending) is an Affix which is placed at the end of a word It involves only a change in the vowels of the word:

adrar → idurar "mountain"

agadir → igudar "wall"

abaγus → ibuγas "monkey"

The third type of plural is a mixed form: it combines a change of vowels with the suffix -n:

izi → izan "fly"

azur → izuran "root"

iziker → izakaren "rope"

Berber languages also have two types of states or cases of the noun, organized ergatively: one is unmarked, while the other serves for the subject of a transitive verb and the object of a preposition, among other contexts. In Grammar, the case of a Noun or Pronoun indicates its Grammatical function in a greater Phrase or Clause; such as the The ergative case is the Grammatical case that identifies the subject of a Transitive verb in Ergative-absolutive languages In such languages The former is often called free state, the latter construct state. The construct state of the noun derives from the free state through one of the following rules: The first involves a vowel alternation, whereby the vowel a becomes u :

argaz → urgaz

amγar → umγar

adrar → udrar

The second involves the loss of the initial vowel, in the case of some feminine nouns:

tamγart → temγart "old women"

tamdint → temdint "town"

tarbat → terbat "girl"

The third involves the addition of a semi-vowel (w or y) word-initially:

asif → wasif "river"

adu → wadu "wind"

iles → yiles "tongue"

uccen → wuccen "wolf"

Finally, some nouns do not change for free state:

taddart → taddart "village"

tuccent → tuccent "female wolf"

The following table gives the forms for the noun amγar "old man":

Subclassification

Modern Berber Languages

Subclassification of the Berber languages is made difficult by their mutual closeness; Maarten Kossmann (1999) describes it as two dialect continua, Northern Berber and Tuareg, and a few peripheral languages, spoken in isolated pockets largely surrounded by Arabic, that fall outside these continua, namely Zenaga and the Libyan and Egyptian varieties. A dialect continuum is a range of Dialects spoken across a large geographical area differing only slightly between areas that are geographically close and gradually decreasing The Northern Berber languages are a language continuum across the Maghreb that form a sub-family within the Berber languages. Tuareg (or Tamasheq/Tamajaq/Tamahaq) is a Berber language or family of closely related languages spoken by the Tuareg, in many parts of Mali Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Zenaga (autonym Tuḍḍungiyya) is a Berber language spoken by some 200 to 300 people (Ethnologue estimate 1998 between Mederdra and the Atlantic Libya ( ليبيا ar-Latn Lībiyā; Libyan vernacular: Lībya; Amazigh:) officially the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Within Northern Berber, however, he recognizes a break in the continuum between Zenati languages and their non-Zenati neighbors; and in the east, he recognizes a division between Ghadames and Awjila on the one hand and El-Foqaha, Siwa, and Djebel Nefusa on the other. The Zenati languages include 12 ( SIL estimate Languages and dialects spoken in North Africa; this language group is a part of the Northern Berber language The oasis of GhadamesIs known to most people I guessIn Libya's vast landHalf-buried in sandIt survives and it thrives — more or less| Limerick by Charles Issawi| Awjila (أوجلة is an oasis after which the Awjila language, an Eastern Berber language spoken there is named The implied tree is:

• Nefusa-Siwa languages
• Ghadames-Awjila languages
• Northern Berber languages
  • Zenati languages (including Tarifit)
  • Kabyle language
  • Moroccan Atlas languages (including Tashelhiyt and Central Morocco Tamazight)
• Tuareg languages
• Zenaga language

There is so little data available on Guanche that any classification is necessarily uncertain; however, it is almost universally acknowledged as Berber on the basis of the surviving glosses. The Northern Berber languages are a language continuum across the Maghreb that form a sub-family within the Berber languages. The Zenati languages include 12 ( SIL estimate Languages and dialects spoken in North Africa; this language group is a part of the Northern Berber language Rifi redirects here for the location of the same name in Greece, see Rifi Greece Tarifit is a Northern Berber language Kabyle is a Berber language (Kabyle Ṯaqbayliṯ,, ˌθæqβæjˈlɪθ spoken by the Kabyle people The Atlas languages, or more exactly Moroccan Atlas languages, are a subgroup of the Northern Berber languages spoken in the Atlas Mountains of Tashelhiyt (also Tashelhit or Tachelhit or Tachelhiyt or Shilha, native name tašlḥiyt, French: tachelhit For a correct Tifinagh font display please install this IRCAM font Tuareg (or Tamasheq/Tamajaq/Tamahaq) is a Berber language or family of closely related languages spoken by the Tuareg, in many parts of Mali Zenaga (autonym Tuḍḍungiyya) is a Berber language spoken by some 200 to 300 people (Ethnologue estimate 1998 between Mederdra and the Atlantic Guanche is an Extinct language, which used to be spoken by the Guanches of the Canary Islands until the 16th or 17th century Much the same can be said of the language, sometimes called "Numidian", used in the Libyan or Libyco-Berber inscriptions around the turn of the Common Era, whose alphabet is the ancestor of Tifinagh. Numidia (202 BC – 46 BC was an ancient Berber kingdom in present-day Algeria and part of Tunisia ( North Africa) that later alternated Tifinagh ( in Neo-Tifinagh Tifinaɣ in Berber Latin alphabet, tifinaɣ is an Alphabetic script used by some Africans to write their language

The Ethnologue, mostly following Aikhenvald and Militarev (1991), subdivides it somewhat differently:

• Guanche
• Eastern Berber languages
  • Siwa
  • Awjila-Sokna languages
• Northern Berber languages
  • Zenati languages
  • Kabyle language
  • Chenoua language
  • Moroccan Atlas languages
• Tamasheq languages
  • Northern Tamasheq languages
  • Southern Tamasheq languages
• Zenaga language

See also

• Arsène Roux
• Karl Prasse
• Henri Basset
• Tifinagh alphabet
• Berber alphabet
• Garamantes
• Barbary Coast

Notes

References

• Ethnologue entry for Berber languages
• Brett, Michael; & Fentress, Elizabeth (1997). The Berbers (The Peoples of Africa). ISBN 0-631-16852-4. ISBN 0-631-20767-8 (Pbk).
• Abdel-Massih, Ernest T. 1971. A Reference Grammar of Tamazight (Middle Atlas Berber). Ann Arbor: Center for Near Eastern and North African Studies, The University of Michigan
• Basset, André. 1952. La langue berbère. Handbook of African Languages 1, ser. ed. Daryll Forde. London: Oxford University Press
• Chaker, Salem. 1995. Linguistique berbère: Études de syntaxe et de diachronie. M. S. —Ussun amaziɣ 8, ser. ed. Salem Chaker. Paris and Leuven: Uitgeverij Peeters
• Dallet, Jean-Marie. 1982. Dictionnaire kabyle–français, parler des At Mangellet, Algérie. Études etholinguistiques Maghreb–Sahara 1, ser. eds. Salem Chaker, and Marceau Gast. Paris: Société d’études linguistiques et anthropologiques de France
• de Foucauld, Charles Eugène. Blessed Charles Eugène de Foucauld ( Strasbourg, 15 September 1858 &ndash Tamanrasset, 1 December 1916 1951. Dictionnaire touareg–français, dialecte de l’Ahaggar. 4 vols. [Paris]: Imprimerie nationale de France
• Delheure, Jean. 1984. Aǧraw n yiwalen: tumẓabt t-tfransist, Dictionnaire mozabite–français, langue berbère parlée du Mzab, Sahara septentrional, Algérie. Études etholinguistiques Maghreb–Sahara 2, ser. eds. Salem Chaker, and Marceau Gast. Paris: Société d’études linguistiques et anthropologiques de France
• ———. 1987. Agerraw n iwalen: teggargrent–taṛumit, Dictionnaire ouargli–français, langue parlée à Oaurgla et Ngoussa, oasis du Sahara septentrinal, Algérie. Études etholinguistiques Maghreb–Sahara 5, ser. eds. Salem Chaker, and Marceau Gast. Paris: Société d’études linguistiques et anthropologiques de France
• Kossmann, Maarten G. 1999. Essai sur la phonologie du proto-berbère. Grammatische Analysen afrikaniscker Sprachen 12, ser. eds. Wilhelm J. G. Möhlig, and Bernd Heine. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag
• Kossmann, Maarten G. , and Hendrikus Joseph Stroomer. 1997. "Berber Phonology". In Phonologies of Asia and Africa (Including the Caucasus), edited by Alan S. Kaye. 2 vols. Vol. 1. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns. 461–475
• Naït-Zerrad, Kamal. 1998. Dictionarrie des racines berbères (formes attestées). Paris and Leuven: Centre de Recherche Berbère and Uitgeverij Peeters
• Prasse, Karl-Gottfried, Ghubăyd ăgg-Ălăwžəli, and Ghăbdəwan əg-Muxămmăd. 1998. Asăggălalaf: Tămaẓəq–Tăfrăsist — Lexique touareg–français. 2nd ed. Carl Niebuhr Institute Publications 24, ser. eds. Paul John Frandsen, Daniel T. Potts, and Aage Westenholz. København: Museum Tusculanum Press
• Quitout, Michel. 1997. Grammaire berbère (rifain, tamazight, chleuh, kabyle). Paris and Montréal: Éditions l’Harmattan
• Rössler, Otto. 1958. "Die Sprache Numidiens". In Sybaris: Festschrift Hans Krahe zum 60. Geburtstag am 7. February 1958, dargebracht von Freunden, Schülern und Kollegen. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz
• Sadiqi, Fatima. 1997. Grammaire du berbère. Paris and Montréal: Éditions l’Harmattan. ISBN 2-7384-5919-6
• Cannon, Garland. 1994. The Arabic Contributions to the English Language: A Historical Dictionary.

External links

• Tamazight language
• Emazighen
• Amuddu n-Umsiggel - a philosophical Berber story
• Interview with Karl-G. Prasse (source)
• Libyamazigh Page about Libyan culture with Tamazight language section.
• Tifinagh
• Ancient Scripts
• Ennedi
• Tawiza
• Berber
• Interview with Rachid Aadnani on the Amazigh issue
• Algerian Dardja Online Dictionary: contains many Tamazight terms
• Imyura Kabyle site about literature

French

• Berber Research Center (INALCO, Paris) Articles and maps of high scientific value for a large audience