Taqbaylit
Kabyle
Afro-Asiatic (Berber, Northern, Zenati)
Also known as: Kabyle, Taqbaylit
Kabyle (Taqbaylit, ⵜⴰⵇⴱⴰⵢⵍⵉⵜ) is the most widely spoken Berber language and the largest written and standardized Berber variety, with ~6M speakers in Algeria's mountainous Kabylie region (Tizi Ouzou, Béjaïa, Bouira) and the large diaspora in France. The Kabyle Berber Cultural Movement spearheaded the broader Tamazight rights struggle, including the 1980 Berber Spring uprising that led to Tamazight gaining national language status in 2002 and full official status alongside Arabic in 2016. Rich oral tradition (Mouloud Mammeri's collections) and modern literary scene including Mouloud Feraoun and singer Idir.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Kabyle
Water
aman
/aman/
Fire
times
/timəs/
Sun
iṭij
/itˤiʒ/
Moon
aggur
/aɡːuɾ/
Mother
yemma
/jəmːa/
Father
baba
/baba/
Eat
ečč
/ətʃː/
Drink
sew
/səw/
Love
tayri
/tajɾi/
Heart
ul
/ul/
Tree
ttejra
/tːəʒɾa/
House
axxam
/aχːam/
Dog
aydi
/ajdi/
Cat
amcic
/amʃiʃ/
Hand
afus
/afus/
Eye
tiṭ
/titˤ/
Hello
azul
/azul/
Thank you
tanemmirt
/tanəmːiɾt/
One
yiwen
/jiwən/
Good
yelha
/jəlħa/
Sources
- Ethnologue: kab
- Naït-Zerrad (2001) Grammaire du berbère contemporain (Kabyle)
- HCA — Haut Commissariat à l'Amazighité
Words compared
Compared with related Afro-Asiatic (Berber, Northern, Zenati) languages
| Meaning | Kabyle | Central Atlas Tamazight | Shawiya | Tashelhit | Tarifit | Tamasheq (Tuareg) | Arabic (Algerian) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | aman /aman/ | aman /aman/ | aman /aman/ | aman /aman/ | aman /aman/ | aman /aman/ | الما /lma/ |
| Fire | times /timəs/ | times /times/ | times /times/ | timsi /timsi/ | thmessi /θmesːi/ | tǝmsi /təmsi/ | العافية /lʕafja/ |
| Sun | iṭij /itˤiʒ/ | tafukt /tafukt/ | ittij /itːiʒ/ | tafukt /tafukt/ | dhish /ðiʃ/ | tafuk /tafuk/ | الشمس /ʃʃəms/ |
| Moon | aggur /aɡːuɾ/ | ayyur /ajːuɾ/ | ayur /ajuɾ/ | ayyur /ajːuɾ/ | ayyur /ajːuɾ/ | ayor /ajor/ | القمر /lqmər/ |
| Mother | yemma /jəmːa/ | yemma /jemːa/ | ima /ima/ | imma /imːa/ | yemma /jemːa/ | anna /anːa/ | يما /jəmma/ |
| Father | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ | abba /abba/ | بابا /baːba/ |
| Eat | ečč /ətʃː/ | ečč /etʃː/ | etš /etʃ/ | čč /tʃː/ | eč /etʃ/ | ekš /əkʃ/ | كلى /kla/ |
| Drink | sew /səw/ | sew /səw/ | su /su/ | ssu /sːu/ | su /su/ | esu /əsu/ | شرب /ʃrəb/ |
| Love | tayri /tajɾi/ | tayri /tajɾi/ | tayri /tajɾi/ | tayri /tajɾi/ | tayri /tajɾi/ | tara /tara/ | حب /ħəbb/ |
| Heart | ul /ul/ | ul /ul/ | ul /ul/ | ul /ul/ | ul /ul/ | ul /ul/ | قلب /qəlb/ |
| Tree | ttejra /tːəʒɾa/ | aseklu /aseklu/ | aseklu /asekːlu/ | aseklu /aseklu/ | asɣar /asʁaɾ/ | ašǝk /aʃək/ | شجرة /ʃəʒra/ |
| House | axxam /aχːam/ | tigemmi /tiɡemːi/ | axxam /axːam/ | tigemmi /tiɡemːi/ | thaddart /θadːaɾt/ | ehǝn /ehən/ | دار /daːr/ |
| Dog | aydi /ajdi/ | aydi /ajdi/ | aydi /ajdi/ | aydi /ajdi/ | aydi /ajdi/ | aydi /ajdi/ | كلب /kəlb/ |
| Cat | amcic /amʃiʃ/ | amuš /amuʃ/ | mucc /mutʃː/ | amuš /amuʃ/ | mucc /mutʃː/ | amuš /amuʃ/ | قط /qətˤtˤ/ |
| Hand | afus /afus/ | afus /afus/ | afus /afus/ | afus /afus/ | fus /fus/ | afus /afus/ | يد /jədd/ |
| Eye | tiṭ /titˤ/ | tiṭṭ /titˤː/ | tiṭ /titˤ/ | tiṭṭ /titˤː/ | thiṭ /θitˤ/ | tiṭṭ /titˤː/ | عين /ʕin/ |
| Hello | azul /azul/ | azul /azul/ | azul /azul/ | azul /azul/ | azul /azul/ | mâ təlla /ma təlːa/ | السلام /ssalaːm/ |
| Thank you | tanemmirt /tanəmːiɾt/ | tanmmirt /tanmːiɾt/ | tanmirt /tanmiɾt/ | tanmmirt /tanmːiɾt/ | tanəmmirt /tanəmːiɾt/ | tanǝmmirt /tanəmːiɾt/ | صحة /sˤəħħa/ |
| One | yiwen /jiwən/ | yan /jan/ | ijj /ijː/ | yan /jan/ | ijj /ijː/ | iyǝn /ijən/ | واحد /waːħəd/ |
| Good | yelha /jəlħa/ | ifulki /ifulki/ | ighwdha /iʁʷða/ | ifulki /ifulki/ | šenmu /ʃenmu/ | ihossǝn /ihosːən/ | مليح /mliħ/ |
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