South Oran and Figuig Berber

{{Short description|Cluster of the Zenati languages}} {{Infobox language | name = South Oran and Figuig Berber<br>''Tachelhit'' | nativename = ''tmaziɣt, tacelḥit, tabeldit'' | pronunciation = | states = Algeria, Morocco | region = Ksour Mountains, Saoura basin, Figuig region | ethnicity = | speakers = {{formatnum:61000}} in Algeria (2008)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/afrique/algerie-1demo.htm|title = L'Aménagement linguistique dans le monde: Page d'accueil}}</ref><br/>{{formatnum:20000}} to {{formatnum:30000}} in Morocco | date = 2011? | ref = <ref name="unsc-fig">{{Cite web|url=http://www.unesco.org/culture/languages-atlas/en/atlasmap/language-id-2215.html|title = UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in danger}}</ref> | familycolor = Afro-Asiatic | fam2 = Berber | fam3 = Northern Berber | fam4 = Zenati | fam5 = Mzab–Wargla | iso3 = none | glotto = sout3056 | glottoname = South Oran | linglist2 = qb8 | lingname2 = Figuig | script = Arabic, Latin, Tifinagh | map = South Oranie and Figuig Berber.PNG | mapcaption = }}

'''South Oran Berber''', or '''Tachelhit''',<ref>{{cite book|access-date=2023-02-10|date=1894–1897|first1=Napoléon (1855-1910) Auteur du texte|first2=Henri Poisson de (1859-1922) Auteur du texte|language=FR|last1=Lacroix|last2=La Martinière|pages=959|title=Documents pour servir à l'étude du Nord-Ouest africain. T. 1 / réunis et rédigés... par H.-M.-P. de La Martinière,... N. Lacroix,...|url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k1060665}}</ref> is a cluster of the Zenati languages, which belong to the Berber branch of the Afroasiatic family.<ref>This language has no established name in English; in French literature it is referred to as ''Kçours du Sud-Oranais'' or ''parlers des Kçours Oranais et de Figuig''. Its speakers most frequently call it by the vague term ''tacelḥit'' "Tashelhiyt" ("Shilha"), but in the northern villages the equally vague term ''tmaziɣt'' "Tamazight" is also used, while ''tabeldit'' is specific to the Igli area (El Idrissi 2017:22).</ref> It is spoken in a number of oases of southwestern Algeria and across the border in Morocco.

These areas include most of the ksour (fortified villages) between Mecheria and Béni Abbès: Tiout, Ain Sfisifa, Boussemghoun, Moghrar, Chellala, Asla, Fendi, Mougheul, Lahmar, Boukais, Sfissifa, Ouakda, Barrbi near Taghit, Igli, Mazzer in Algeria, Iche, Ain Chair and the seven ksour of Figuig (Ait Wadday, Ait Amar, Ait Lamiz, Ait Sliman, Ait Anaj, Ait Addi and Iznayen)<ref name="unsc-fig" /> in Morocco.<ref>André Basset, La langue berbère dans les territoires du sud, ''Revue Africaine'' vol. 85, 1941, pp. 62-71</ref>

Of these towns, the only one whose dialect has been studied in any detail is Figuig (Kossmann 1997).<ref>Maarten Kossmann, ''Grammaire du parler berbère de Figuig: Maroc oriental'', Peeters 1997 [https://books.google.com/books?id=ZHi3MZgDI0UC&pg=PA1]</ref> A cursory study of the northern dialects, including texts and vocabulary, is Basset (1885,<ref>René Basset: "[https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k93228g/f305.item Notes de lexicographie berbère 3e série : dialecte des k'çours oranais et de Figuig]" in ''Journal Asiatique'' 1885 t. II pp. 302-371</ref> 1886<ref>René Basset: "[https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k93229t/f64.double# Spécimen de dialecte des k'çours oranais]" in ''Journal Asiatique'' 1886 t. I pp. 67-85</ref>) while a sketch grammar of its southernmost member, Igli, is provided by Kossmann (2010).<ref>Maarten Kossmann, "[https://www.academia.edu/4269828/Grammatical_notes_on_the_Berber_dialect_of_Igli_Sud_oranais_Algeria_pre_publication_version_2010_ Grammatical notes on the Berber dialect of Igli (Sud oranais, Algeria)]", in ed. D. Ibriszimow, M. Kossmann, H. Stroomer, R. Vossen, ''Études berbères V – Essais sur des variations dialectales et autres articles''. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe, 2010.</ref> El Idrissi (2017<ref>Mohamed El Idrissi. [https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-02079768 Description des variétés berbères en danger du Sud-Oranais (Algérie) - Étude dialectologique, phonologique et phonétique du système consonantique. Linguistique]. Université Sorbonne Paris Cité, 2017.</ref>) focuses mainly on phonetic variation among the different villages.

Like many other Berber varieties, the Figuig Berber dialects use bipartite verbal negation. The preverbal negator is ''ul'' (locally ''un'', ''il''); the postverbal negator is ''ša'' (Igli, Mazzer) / ''šay'' (Figuig, Iche, Moghrar) / ''iš'' (Boussemghoun, Ain Chair), with both the latter two appearing as allomorphs in Tiout.<ref>Kossmann, ''op. cit.'':94</ref> The numerals 1 and 2 are Berber, while higher numerals are Arabic borrowings throughout.<ref>Kossmann, ''op. cit.'':84</ref>

==References== <references/>

Category:Berber languages Category:Berbers in Algeria Category:Berbers in Morocco Category:Languages of Algeria Category:Languages of Morocco