All Topics  
Northern Berber languages

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Northern Berber languages
 
 
  Topics Northern Berber languages Topic Home

The Northern Berber languages are a language continuum across the Maghreb
Maghreb

The Maghreb , also rendered Maghrib , meaning "place of sunset" or "western" in Arabic, is a region in North Africa. The term is generally applied to all of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, but in older Arabic usage pertained only to the area of the three countries between the high ranges of the Atlas Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea....
 that form a sub-family within the Berber languages
Berber languages

The Berber languages are a group of closely related languages spoken in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, as well as by Berber people communities in parts of Niger and Mali....
. Their continuity is broken by the spread of Arabic
Arabic language

Arabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages languages such as Hebrew language and Aramaic language....
, and to a lesser extent by the Zenati
Zenati languages

The Zenati languages include 12 languages and dialects spoken in North Africa; this language group is a part of the List of Northern Berber languages....
 subgroup, which, though unmistakably Northern Berber, shares certain innovations not found in the surrounding languages, notably a softening of k to sh or ch, and an absence of a- in certain words, such as "hand" (afus vs. fus.) They include (languages with over a million speakers in bold):



The eastern boundaries of the group seem to be controversial; some sources include the Nafusi language
Nafusi language

Nafusi is a Berber language from Libya and Tunisia. It is also known as Djerbi, Nefusi, Jabal Nafusi, Jebel Nefusi, Jbel Nafusi, Tunisian Berber, and Shilha....
 and the Ghadames language
Ghadamès language

Ghadam?s is a language spoken mainly by some Libya Muslims. It is spoken in Ghadam?s, a small oasis near the Libyan border with Algeria and Tunisia....
, while others do not.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Northern Berber languages'
Start a new discussion about 'Northern Berber languages'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


The Northern Berber languages are a language continuum across the Maghreb
Maghreb

The Maghreb , also rendered Maghrib , meaning "place of sunset" or "western" in Arabic, is a region in North Africa. The term is generally applied to all of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, but in older Arabic usage pertained only to the area of the three countries between the high ranges of the Atlas Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea....
 that form a sub-family within the Berber languages
Berber languages

The Berber languages are a group of closely related languages spoken in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, as well as by Berber people communities in parts of Niger and Mali....
. Their continuity is broken by the spread of Arabic
Arabic language

Arabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages languages such as Hebrew language and Aramaic language....
, and to a lesser extent by the Zenati
Zenati languages

The Zenati languages include 12 languages and dialects spoken in North Africa; this language group is a part of the List of Northern Berber languages....
 subgroup, which, though unmistakably Northern Berber, shares certain innovations not found in the surrounding languages, notably a softening of k to sh or ch, and an absence of a- in certain words, such as "hand" (afus vs. fus.) They include (languages with over a million speakers in bold):

  • Moroccan Atlas languages
    Atlas languages

    The Atlas languages, or more exactly Moroccan Atlas languages, are a subgroup of the Northern Berber languages spoken in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco....
    :
    • Tachelhit language (also called Tasusit, Shilha; includes "Judeo-Berber language
      Judeo-Berber language

      Judeo-Berber is a term used primarily for the Berber language varieties traditionally spoken by the Jewish communities of certain parts of central and southern Morocco....
      "), in southern Morocco
    • Central Morocco Tamazight
      Central Morocco Tamazight

      Tamazight or Central Morocco Tamazight or Braber is a dialect of the Berber language which is spoken in Central Morocco....
    • Senhaja de Srair language
      Senhaja de Srair language

      The language of the Senhaja de Srair is a Northern Berber language spoken in the southern part of the Morocco Rif. It is most closely related to the Atlas languages, but heavily influenced by the neighboring Tarifit language ...
       (listed erroneously as Zenati by the Ethnologue), in the southern part of the Rif
      Rif

      The Rif is a mainly mountainous region of northern Morocco, stretching from Cape Spartel and Tangier in the west to Ras Kebdana and the Moulouya River in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the river of Ouargha in the south....
       in Morocco
  • Zenati languages
    Zenati languages

    The Zenati languages include 12 languages and dialects spoken in North Africa; this language group is a part of the List of Northern Berber languages....
    • Ghomara language
      Ghomara language

      The language of the Ghomara is a Northern Berber language of the Zenati subgroup, spoken on the western edge of the Rif in Morocco. Contrary to the Ethnologue, it is not extinct; Peter Behnstedt reports that it is spoken in at least the douar of Amtiqan and its immediate neighborhood, just west of Oued Ouringa....
      , in the northwestern part of the Rif
      Rif

      The Rif is a mainly mountainous region of northern Morocco, stretching from Cape Spartel and Tangier in the west to Ras Kebdana and the Moulouya River in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the river of Ouargha in the south....
       in Morocco
    • Tarifit language
      Tarifit language

      Tarifit is a Northern Berber languages of the Zenati languages, spoken mainly in the Morocco Rif and in other cities by about 4 million people. There is about 1 million Tarifit-speaking immigrants in Europe....
      , in northern Morocco
      • Beni Snous, in western Algeria near the border
      • Arzew
        Arzew

        Arzew is a seaport city in Algeria, 22 miles from Oran. It is the capital of Arzew District, Oran Province....
        , in western Algeria (extinct?)
    • South Oranais Berber, in the ksours along the Algerian-Moroccan border
      • Figuig
        Figuig

        Figig - Ifiyey is a Berber people town in eastern Morocco near the Atlas Mountains, on the border with Algeria.The town is built around an oasis of date palms, called tazdayt in the Berber languages, surrounded by rugged, mountainous wilderness....
         dialect, in southeastern Morocco
    • Central Maghreb Berber
      • Achacha (extinct), north of Mostaghanem in Algeria
      • Bel Halima (extinct), west of Tiaret in Algeria
      • Ouarsenis (extinct?), east of El Asnam in Algeria
      • Haraoua (extinct?), south of Ain Defla
        Aïn Defla

        A?n Defla is the capital city of A?n Defla Province, Algeria. It is a also a Communes of Algeria.External links* on Google Maps...
         in Algeria
      • Chenoua language
        Chenoua language

        Chenoua is the Berber languages of Jebel Chenoua in Algeria, just west of Algiers near Tipasa and Cherchell. It is very closely similar to the Berber speech of the Beni Menacer nearby, and the name is thus sometimes extended to refer to the Berber speech varieties of that whole area....
        /Beni Menacer/Djebel Bissa, between Tipasa
        Tipasa

        Tipaza is a town on the coast of Algeria, capital of the Tipaza Province provinces of Algeria. The modern town, founded in 1857, is remarkable chiefly for its sandy beach....
         and Ténès
        Tenes

        In Greek mythology, Tenes was the eponymous hero of the island of Tenedos. He was the son either of Apollo or of King Cycnus of Colonae by Proclia, daughter or granddaughter of Laomedon....
         in north-central Algeria west of Algiers
        Algiers

        Algiers Nicknamed El-Bahdja or Alger la Blanche for the glistening white of its buildings as seen rising up from the sea, Algiers is situated on the west side of a bay of the Mediterranean Sea....
    • Chaouia language
      Chaouia language

      Chaouia is the eponymous Berber languages spoken by the Chaoui people of eastern Algeria around Batna, Algeria, Khenchela, S?tif, Constantine, Algeria, Oum El Bouaghi, Souk Ahras, T?bessa and the north part of Biskra....
      , south of Constantine
      Constantine, Algeria

      Constantine is the capital of Constantine Province in north-eastern Algeria. Slightly inland, it is about 80 kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea coast....
       in northeastern Algeria
    • northern Saharan varieties
      Mzab-Wargla languages

      The Mzab-Wargla languages include 4 languages and dialects spoken in Algeria; this language group is a part of the List of Zenati languages. This list contains individual languages....
      :
      • Tumzabt language
        Tumzabt language

        is an Berber language spoken by the Mozabites, an Ibadi group inhabiting the seven cities of the M'zab in the northern Sahara. It is also spoken by small numbers of Mozabite emigrants in the cities of northern Algeria and elsewhere....
         of the Mzab, Algeria
      • Ouargli language/Teggargarent at Ouargla
        Ouargla

        Ouargla is a capital city of Ouargla , southern Algeria. It is has a flourishing oil industry. It hosts one of Algeria's universities. The city had a population of 129,402 in 1998 ....
        , Algeria
      • "Temacine Tamazight language" (Ethnologue
        Ethnologue

        Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christianity linguistics service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, primarily to provide the speakers with Bibles, in their native language....
         name) in Oued Righ, around Touggourt
        Touggourt

        Touggourt is a city in Ouargla Province, Algeria, built around an oasis in the Sahara. It is notable for its date trees. It was formerly surrounded by a moat, which the France filled up....
         and Temacine (Algeria)
      • "Taznatit language" of Touat and Gourara, Algeria (the Ethnologue name "Taznatit" is a misnomer, since that name is in fact used for most of the Zenati languages)
    • Tidikelt language
    • Sened language
      Sened language

      Sened is an Extinct language Berber languages that was spoken in the nearby towns of Sened and Majoura in Southern Tunisia until the mid-twentieth century....
       in Tunisia
      Tunisia

      Tunisia , officially the Tunisian Republic , is a country located in North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and Libya to the southeast....
       (extinct)
    • Djerbi language (including Matmata
      Matmâta

      Matm?ta or Metmata is a small Berber languages speaking town in southern Tunisia. Some of the local Berber residents live in traditional underground "troglodyte" structures....
       and Tamezret) in southern Tunisia
      Tunisia

      Tunisia , officially the Tunisian Republic , is a country located in North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and Libya to the southeast....
    • Zuara language (controversially classified by the Ethnologue as part of Nafusi, along with the previous), in northwestern Libya
      Libya

      Libya , officially the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya , is a country located in North Africa. Bordering the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Libya lies between Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
  • Kabyle language
    Kabyle language

    Kabyle is a Berber language spoken by the Kabyle people. In 1995, there were 7,123,000 speakers worldwide, the majority in Algeria, where there were more than 4,500,000....
    , in Kabylia, east of Algiers
    Algiers

    Algiers Nicknamed El-Bahdja or Alger la Blanche for the glistening white of its buildings as seen rising up from the sea, Algiers is situated on the west side of a bay of the Mediterranean Sea....
    • Various groups near Blida
      Blida

      Blida is a city in Algeria. It is the capital of Blida Province, and it is located about 45 km south-west of Algiers, the national capital. The name Blida, i.e....
      , such as the Beni Salah
      Beni Salah

      A group called the Beni Salah ruled the Kingdom of Nekor.A group called the Beni Salah live near Blida in Algeria, and speak or formerly spoke a variety of Kabyle....
       and Beni Bou Yaqoub (extinct?)


The eastern boundaries of the group seem to be controversial; some sources include the Nafusi language
Nafusi language

Nafusi is a Berber language from Libya and Tunisia. It is also known as Djerbi, Nefusi, Jabal Nafusi, Jebel Nefusi, Jbel Nafusi, Tunisian Berber, and Shilha....
 and the Ghadames language
Ghadamès language

Ghadam?s is a language spoken mainly by some Libya Muslims. It is spoken in Ghadam?s, a small oasis near the Libyan border with Algeria and Tunisia....
, while others do not. Most sources agree in regarding Ghadames language
Ghadamès language

Ghadam?s is a language spoken mainly by some Libya Muslims. It is spoken in Ghadam?s, a small oasis near the Libyan border with Algeria and Tunisia....
 as outside of Northern Berber, but the Ethnologue does not.

There is no authoritative answer to the question of which of these to describe as a "language
Language

A language is a form of symbol communication in which elements are combined to represents something other than themselves. Language can also refer to the use of such systems as a general phenomenon....
" versus a "dialect
Dialect

A dialect is a variety of a language that is characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors, such as social class....
"; some academics have seen not only Northern Berber but all the Berber languages
Berber languages

The Berber languages are a group of closely related languages spoken in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, as well as by Berber people communities in parts of Niger and Mali....
 as dialects of a single language, while others come up with much higher counts. At any rate, mutual comprehensibility
Mutual intelligibility

In linguistics, mutual intelligibility is recognized as a relationship between languages in which speakers of different but related languages can readily understand each other without intentional study or extraordinary effort....
 among Northern Berber languages is high, though not perfect.