SafekipediaBerber languages
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The Berber languages, also known as the Amazigh languages or Tamazight, are a group of languages that belong to the Afroasiatic language family. They are spoken by Berber communities who have lived in North Africa for a very long time. These languages have a rich history and were once written using an ancient script called Libyco-Berber, which today is known as Tifinagh. Now, people often write Berber languages using the Berber Latin alphabet or the Arabic script, with the Latin alphabet being the most common.
Berber languages are quite different from each other but still related, much like the Romance languages. They are often grouped together and called simply "Berber," "Tamazight," or "Amazigh." These languages usually follow a special way of putting words together, called verb–subject–object word order. There are two main standard forms of Berber used in schools and media: Standard Algerian Amazigh and Standard Moroccan Amazigh.
Millions of people in Morocco and Algeria speak a Berber language at home. Smaller groups speak Berber in Libya, Tunisia, northern Mali, western and northern Niger, northern Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and the Siwa Oasis of Egypt. There are also many speakers in Western Europe. Some of the most common Berber languages are Tashlhiyt, Kabyle, Central Atlas Tamazight, Tarifit, and Shawiya. For many years, Berber languages were not valued as much as others, but recently, countries like Morocco and Algeria have started to recognize them more officially.
Terminology
"Tamazight" and "Berber languages" often mean the same thing. Sometimes, "Tamazight" refers to a specific group of these languages, like Central Tashlhiyt. It can also mean Standard Moroccan Amazigh or Standard Algerian Berber, depending on the country.
The word "Berber" has a complex history and might not feel right to everyone. Some groups prefer the term "Tamazic languages." Amazigh people usually use "Tamazight" when speaking English. This name has been used since ancient times. Different groups have their own names for themselves, like the Kabyles who call themselves "Leqbayel," and the Chaouis who call themselves "Ishawiyen."
Origin
Main article: Proto-Berber language
The Berber languages come from a common ancestor called the Proto-Berber language. This ancestor is fairly recent, similar in age to the common roots of Germanic or Romance languages. The split from other Afroasiatic language groups happened much earlier, possibly during the time of the local Mesolithic Capsian culture.
Some ancient peoples likely spoke Berber languages. One of the oldest possible examples of writing in a Berber-like language is found on an old Egyptian paper from the time of the New Kingdom in Egypt. Studies suggest that people from the C-Group culture in southern Egypt and northern Sudan may have spoken Berber languages. Today, the Nilo-Saharan Nobiin language includes some important words borrowed from Berber, especially words about raising animals and water from the Nile. This shows that the C-Group people, who lived in the Nile valley before the first Nubian speakers arrived, likely spoke Afroasiatic languages.
Orthography
Main article: Berber orthography
Berber languages are mostly spoken and do not have a big written form. Long ago, they were written with a special script called Libyco-Berber. This script, known as Tifinagh, is still used today by the Tuareg people. After Islam spread, some Berber scholars used the Arabic script. In the 1800s, a new way of writing called the Berber Latin alphabet was created. Today, three writing systems are used for Berber languages: Tifinagh, the Arabic script, and the Berber Latin alphabet. The Latin alphabet is the most common.
Subclassification
Except for Zenaga, Tetserret, and Tuareg, the Berber languages are closely connected. Experts sometimes find it hard to know where one language ends and another begins in this group.
One expert, Maarten Kossmann, suggests grouping the Berber languages into seven main blocks. These include Western languages like Zenaga and Tetserret, Tuareg, Western Moroccan (which includes Tashelhit and Central Atlas Tamazight), Zenatic, Kabyle, Ghadamès, and Awjila. These languages are often grouped into Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western groups depending on how experts classify them.
Population
Most people who speak Berber languages live in Morocco and Algeria. It has been hard to know exactly how many speakers there are because these languages have not always been officially recognized.
Morocco has the most Berber language speakers. In 2022, it was estimated that about 13.8 million people in Morocco spoke Berber languages.
Algeria has the second most Berber language speakers. In 1906, about 29% of Algeria’s population spoke a Berber language.
Berber languages are also spoken in other countries. For example, in Niger, Mali, Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Mauritania, and France, there are communities of Berber language speakers. In total, it is estimated that about 3.6 million people outside Morocco and Algeria speak Berber languages.
Main article: Languages of Morocco
Main article: Languages of Algeria
| Source | Date | Total | Tashelhit | Central Atlas Tamazight | Tarifit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moroccan census | 1960 | 3.5 million | – | – | – |
| Tamazight of the Ayt Ndhir | 1973 | 6 million | – | – | – |
| Ethnologue | 2001 | 7.5 million | 3 million | 3 million | 1.5 million |
| Moroccan census | 2004 | 7.5 million | 3.9 million | 2.3 million | 1.3 million |
| Multilingualism, Cultural Identity, and Education in Morocco | 2005 | 15 million | 6.8 million | 5.2 million | 3 million |
| Moroccan census | 2014 | 8.8 million | 4.8 million | 2.7 million | 1.4 million |
| Ethnologue | 2022 | 13.8 million | 5 million | 4.6 million | 4.2 million |
| Moroccan census | 2024 | 9.1 million | 5.2 million | 2.7 million | 1.2 million |
| Source | Date | Total | Kabyle | Shawiya | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annales de Géographie | 1906 | 1.3 million | – | – | – |
| Textes en linguistique berbère | 1980 | 3.6 million | – | – | – |
| International Encyclopedia of Linguistics | 2003 | – | 2.5 million | – | – |
| Language Diversity Endangered | 2015 | 4.5 million | 2.5–3 million | 1.4 million | 0.13–0.19 million |
| Journal of African Languages and Literatures | 2021 | – | 3 million | – | – |
| Total | Niger | Mali | Libya | Tunisia | Egypt | Mauritania | Burkina Faso | France |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,577,300 | 720,000 | 798,000 | 247,000 | 53,100 | 20,000 | 117,200 | 122,000 | 1,500,000 |
Status
After countries in North Africa became independent, they started using Arabic more in schools and government. This sometimes meant people could not use their own Berber languages. People who speak these languages, especially in places like Kabylie, wanted their language to be official and taught in schools.
In Morocco, after independence in 1956, schools and government used Arabic instead of French. This upset some people because they wanted their language, Tamazight, to be recognized. In 2011, Tamazight became an official language in Morocco.
In Algeria, which became independent in 1962, similar rules were used. People there also wanted their language recognized. By 2016, Tamazight became both a national and official language in Algeria.
In Libya, some areas wanted their Berber language to be official, but it is not recognized like in Morocco and Algeria. In countries like Mali and Niger, some Berber languages have been taught in schools since the 1960s.
Phonology
See also: Proto-Berber language § Phonology, and Afroasiatic languages § Similarities in grammar and syntax
In linguistics, the sounds of Berber languages are written using the International Phonetic Alphabet, with a few special rules.
Consonants
The sounds made when speaking Berber languages change depending on where you are. In places north of the Sahara, Berber languages have sounds borrowed from Arabic.
Most Berber languages share common sounds, like lips, teeth, and throat sounds. They also have sounds that can be held longer, called "long" sounds.
Vowels
The vowels in Berber languages also change a lot. Some have just three main vowels, while others have up to seven.
Suprasegmentals
Most Berber languages can put any combination of consonants together without changing meaning. They also usually do not use special voice pitch to show meaning, unlike some other languages.
Phonetic correspondences
The way sounds change between Berber languages follows certain patterns. These patterns help show how the languages are related.
| Notation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| /š/ | unvoiced anterior post-alveolar, as in Slavic languages and Lithuanian |
| /ž/ | voiced anterior post-alveolar, also in Slavic languages and Lithuanian |
| /ɣ/ | voiced uvular fricative (in IPA, this represents the voiced velar fricative) |
| /◌͑/ | voiced pharyngeal fricative |
| /h/ | laryngeal voiced consonant |
| /◌͗/ | glottal stop |
| /ř/ | strident flap or /r̝/, as in Czech |
| ! | indicates the following segment is emphatic |
| Tahaggart (Touareg) | Tashlhiyt (Morocco) | Kabyle (Algeria) | Figuig (Morocco) | Central Atlas Tamazight (Morocco) | Tarifit (Morocco) | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| !oska | !uskay | !uššay | (Arabic loan) | !usça | !uššay | "greyhound" |
| t-a-!gzəl-t | t-i-!gzzl-t | t-i-!gzzəl-t | t-i-!yžəl-t | t-i-!ḡzəl-t | θ-i-!yzzətš | "kidney" |
| a-gelhim | a-glzim | a-gəlzim | a-yəlzim | a-ḡzzim | a-řizim | "axe" |
| éhéder | i-gidr | i-gider | (Arabic loan) | yidər | žiða: | "eagle" |
| t-adhan-t | t-adgal-t | t-addžal-t | t-ahžžal-t | t-adžal-t | θ-ažžat | "window" |
| élem | ilm | a-gwlim | ilem | iləm | iřem | "skin" |
| a-!hiyod | a-!žddid | a-!žəddžid | – | a-!ḡddžid | a-!žžið | "scabies" |
| a-gûhil | i-gigil | a-gužil | a-yužil | a-wižil | a-yužiř | "orphan" |
| t-immé | i-gnzi | t-a-gwənza | t-a-nyər-t | t-i-nir-t | θ-a-nya:-θ | "forehead" |
| t-ahor-t | t-aggur-t | t-abbur-t | (Arabic loan) | t-aggur-t | θ-!awwa:-θ | "door" |
| t-a-flu-t | t-i-flu-t | t-i-flu-t | – | t-iflu-t | -- | |
| a-fus | a-fus | a-fus | a-fus | (a-)fus | fus | "hand" |
Grammar
Berber languages change sounds in words in a special way called apophony. The main word types are nouns, verbs, pronouns, adverbs, and prepositions. They usually don’t have special words to describe things; they use other ways to add description.
Nouns and verbs change their endings to show gender, number, and who is doing the action. Sentences often start with the verb, then the subject, and finally the object. For example, “He gave it to him” would put the verb first.
Pronouns
Berber languages have different kinds of pronouns. These change depending on who is being talked about and whether it’s one person or many. They also show gender for some pronouns.
Nouns
Nouns can be male or female and can be single or many. They also change a little depending on their job in the sentence. Some words borrowed from Arabic don’t follow these rules exactly.
Verbs
Verbs in Berber languages change to show different times and moods. There are many ways to make these changes, so the verb system can be complex.
Numerals
Some Berber languages stopped using their old numbers above two because of Arabic influence. But a few still use all their old numbers, which change to match the gender of the things they count.
Sentence structure
Sentences can have a verb or not. When there is a verb, the sentence usually starts with it. When there isn’t a verb, the sentence still follows a clear order.
| Noun type | Feminine | Masculine | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feature | Figuig example | Example gloss | Feature | Figuig example | Example gloss | |
| humans; higher animals | female | ta-sli-t | "bride" | male | a-sli | "groom" |
| objects; lesser animals | small | ta-ɣənžay-t | "spoon" | large | a-ɣənža | "large spoon" |
| varies, but typically fruits and vegetables | unit noun | ta-mlul-t | "(one) melon" | collective noun | a-mlul | "melons (in general)" |
| ti-mlal (plural) | "(specific) melons" | |||||
| Figuig | Ghadames | Ayer Tuareg | Mali Tuareg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aorist | əlmədatəf | ălmədatəf | əlmədatəf | əlmədaləm |
| Imperfective | ləmmədttatəf | lămmădttatăf | -- | lămmădtiləm |
| Secondary imperfective | -- | -- | lámmădtátăf | lámmădtiləm |
| Negative imperfective | ləmmədttitəf | ləmmədttitəf | ləmmədtitəf | ləmmədtiləm |
| Perfective | əlmədutəf | əlmădutăf | əlmădotăf | əlmădolăm |
| Secondary perfective | -- | -- | əlmádotáf | əlmádolám |
| Negative perfective | əlmidutif | əlmedutef | əlmedotef | əlmedolem |
| Future | -- | əlmădutăf | -- | -- |
| Tashelhiyt | Mali Tuareg | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | feminine | masculine | feminine | |
| 1 | yan | yat | iyăn | iyăt |
| 2 | sin | snat | əssin | sănatăt |
| 3 | kraḍ | kraṭṭ | kăraḍ | kăraḍăt |
| 4 | kkuẓ | kkuẓt | akkoẓ | ăkkoẓăt |
| 5 | smmus | smmust | sămmos | sămmosăt |
| 6 | sḍis | sḍist | səḍis | səḍisăt |
| 7 | sa | sat | ăssa | ăssayăt |
| 8 | tam | tamt | ăttam | ăttamăt |
| 9 | tẓa | tẓat | tăẓẓa | tăẓẓayăt |
| 10 | mraw | mrawt | măraw | mărawăt |
Lexicon
Berber languages share many basic words, but some words differ between groups of people. For example, some languages have just a few words for palm trees, while others have many. Other languages have many words to describe camels.
Berber languages have borrowed words from many other languages over time. Words from Ancient Egyptian, like names for dates and parts of palm trees, came with the introduction of date palms from Egypt. Some words may also come from Phoenician-Punic, Hebrew, or Aramaic, though it can be hard to know for sure.
Words from Latin entered Berber languages during different periods, especially words about farming, religion, learning, plants, and useful objects. The Berber calendar uses month names from the Julian calendar, possibly through Arabic.
Today, Arabic has had the biggest influence. Many Berber languages use a lot of Arabic words, especially in religious contexts. For example, words about Islam, like bismillah meaning "in the name of Allah", were borrowed from Arabic.
Extinct languages
Some ancient groups might have spoken languages related to the Berber languages. Experts think people from a culture called the C-Group, who lived in areas that are now Egypt and Sudan, may have spoken these languages. We know this because some words in a language called Nobiin came from these ancient people.
The language of the Guanches, who lived on the Canary Islands, is also thought to have been related to the Berber languages.
Related articles
This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Berber languages, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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