Taqbaylit
Kabyle
Afro-Asiatic (Berber, Northern)
Also known as: Kabyle, Taqbaylit
Kabyle (Taqbaylit, ⵜⴰⵇⴱⴰⵢⵍⵉⵜ) is one of the most widely spoken Berber languages 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
31 core words in Kabyle
Water
aman
/aman/
Fire
times
/timəs/
Sun
iṭij
/itˤiʒ/
Moon
aggur
/aɡːuɾ/
Star
itri
/itri/
Mother
yemma
/jəmːa/
Father
baba
/baba/
I
nekk
/nəkː/
You
kečč
/kətʃː/
Name
isem
/isəm/
Eye
tiṭ
/titˤ/
Hand
afus
/afus/
Heart
ul
/ul/
Love
tayri
/tajɾi/
Tree
ttejra
/tːəʒɾa/
House
axxam
/aχːam/
Dog
aydi
/ajdi/
Cat
amcic
/amʃiʃ/
Eat
ečč
/ətʃː/
Drink
sew
/səw/
One
yiwen
/jiwən/
Two
sin
/sin/
Hello
azul
/azul/
Thank you
tanemmirt
/tanəmːiɾt/
Good
yelha
/jəlħa/
Cuckoo
ṭikkuk
/tˤikˈkuk/
Computer
aselkim
/asəlkim/
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) languages
| Meaning | Kabyle | Central Atlas Tamazight | Tashelhit | Standard Moroccan Tamazight | Shawiya | Tarifit | Tamasheq (Tuareg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | aman /aman/ | ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ | ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ | ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ | aman /aman/ | ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ | ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ |
| Fire | times /timəs/ | ⵜⵉⵎⵙ /times/ | ⵜⵉⵎⵙⵉ /timsi/ | ⵜⵉⵎⵙⵙⵉ /timsːi/ | times /times/ | ⵜⵎⵙⵙⵉ /θmesːi/ | ⵜⵎⵙⵉ /təmsi/ |
| Sun | iṭij /itˤiʒ/ | ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽⵜ /tafukt/ | ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽⵜ /tafukt/ | ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽⵜ /tafukt/ | ittij /itːiʒ/ | ⵜⴼⵓⵢⵜ /θfujθ/ | ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽ /tafuk/ |
| Moon | aggur /aɡːuɾ/ | ⴰⵢⵢⵓⵔ /ajːuɾ/ | ⴰⵢⵢⵓⵔ /ajːuɾ/ | ⴰⵢⵢⵓⵔ /ajːur/ | ayur /ajuɾ/ | ⴰⵢⵢⵓⵔ /ajːuɾ/ | ⴰⵢⵓⵔ /ajor/ |
| Star | itri /itri/ | ⵉⵜⵔⵉ /itri/ | ⵉⵜⵔⵉ /itri/ | ⵉⵜⵔⵉ /itri/ | itri /iθri/ | ⵉⵜⵔⵉ /iθri/ | ⴰⵜⵔⵉ /atri/ |
| Mother | yemma /jəmːa/ | ⵢⵎⵎⴰ /jemːa/ | ⵉⵎⵎⴰ /imːa/ | ⵉⵎⵎⴰ /imːa/ | ima /ima/ | ⵢⵎⵎⴰ /jemːa/ | ⴰⵏⵏⴰ /anːa/ |
| Father | baba /baba/ | ⴱⴰⴱⴰ /baba/ | ⴱⴰⴱⴰ /baba/ | ⴱⴰⴱⴰ /baba/ | baba /baba/ | ⴱⴰⴱⴰ /baba/ | ⴰⴱⴱⴰ /abba/ |
| I | nekk /nəkː/ | ⵏⴽⴽ /nəkː/ | ⵏⴽⴽⵉ /nəkːi/ | ⵏⴽⴽ /nəkː/ | nec /nətʃ/ | ⵏⵜⵛ /nətʃ/ | ⵏⴽⴽ /nækː/ |
| You | kečč /kətʃː/ | ⵛⴽⴽ /ʃəkː/ | ⴽⵢⵢⵉ /kəjːi/ | ⴽⵢⵢⵉ /kəjːi/ | cek /ʃək/ | ⵛⴽ /ʃək/ | ⴽⵢ /kæj/ |
| Name | isem /isəm/ | ⵉⵙⵎ /isəm/ | ⵉⵙⵎ /ism/ | ⵉⵙⵎ /isəm/ | isem /isəm/ | ⵉⵙⵎ /isəm/ | ⴻⵙⵎ /esæm/ |
| Eye | tiṭ /titˤ/ | ⵜⵉⵟⵟ /titˤː/ | ⵜⵉⵟⵟ /titˤː/ | ⵜⵉⵟⵟ /titˤː/ | tiṭ /titˤ/ | ⵜⵉⵟ /θitˤ/ | ⵜⵉⵟⵟ /titˤː/ |
| Hand | afus /afus/ | ⴰⴼⵓⵙ /afus/ | ⴰⴼⵓⵙ /afus/ | ⴰⴼⵓⵙ /afus/ | afus /afus/ | ⴼⵓⵙ /fus/ | ⴰⴼⵓⵙ /afus/ |
| Heart | ul /ul/ | ⵓⵍ /ul/ | ⵓⵍ /ul/ | ⵓⵍ /ul/ | ul /ul/ | ⵓⵍ /ul/ | ⵓⵍ /ul/ |
| Love | tayri /tajɾi/ | ⵜⴰⵢⵔⵉ /tajɾi/ | ⵜⴰⵢⵔⵉ /tajɾi/ | ⵜⴰⵢⵔⵉ /tajri/ | tayri /tajɾi/ | ⵜⴰⵢⵔⵉ /tajɾi/ | ⵜⴰⵔⴰ /tara/ |
| Tree | ttejra /tːəʒɾa/ | ⴰⵙⴽⵍⵓ /aseklu/ | ⴰⵙⴽⵍⵓ /aseklu/ | ⴰⵙⴽⵍⵓ /asəklu/ | aseklu /asekːlu/ | ⴰⵙⵖⴰⵔ /asʁaɾ/ | ⴰⵛⴽ /aʃək/ |
| House | axxam /aχːam/ | ⵜⵉⴳⵎⵎⵉ /tiɡemːi/ | ⵜⵉⴳⵎⵎⵉ /tiɡemːi/ | ⵜⵉⴳⵎⵎⵉ /tiɡəmːi/ | axxam /axːam/ | ⵜⴰⴷⴷⴰⵔⵜ /θadːaɾt/ | ⴻⵀⵏ /ehən/ |
| Dog | aydi /ajdi/ | ⴰⵢⴷⵉ /ajdi/ | ⴰⵢⴷⵉ /ajdi/ | ⴰⵢⴷⵉ /ajdi/ | aydi /ajdi/ | ⴰⵢⴷⵉ /ajdi/ | ⴰⵢⴷⵉ /ajdi/ |
| Cat | amcic /amʃiʃ/ | ⴰⵎⵓⵛ /amuʃ/ | ⴰⵎⵓⵛ /amuʃ/ | ⴰⵎⵓⵛⵛ /amutʃː/ | mucc /mutʃː/ | ⵎⵓⵛⵛ /mutʃː/ | ⴰⵎⵓⵛ /amuʃ/ |
| Eat | ečč /ətʃː/ | ⵛⵛ /etʃː/ | ⵛⵛ /tʃː/ | ⵛⵛ /ətʃː/ | etš /etʃ/ | ⵜⵛ /etʃ/ | ⴽⵛ /əkʃ/ |
| Drink | sew /səw/ | ⵙⵡ /səw/ | ⵙⵙⵓ /sːu/ | ⵙⵓ /su/ | su /su/ | ⵙⵓ /su/ | ⵙⵓ /əsu/ |
| One | yiwen /jiwən/ | ⵢⴰⵏ /jan/ | ⵢⴰⵏ /jan/ | ⵢⴰⵏ /jan/ | ijj /ijː/ | ⵉⵊⵊ /ijː/ | ⵉⵢⵏ /ijən/ |
| Two | sin /sin/ | ⵙⵉⵏ /sin/ | ⵙⵉⵏ /sin/ | ⵙⵉⵏ /sin/ | sen /sən/ | ⵜⵏⴰⵢⵏ /θnajən/ | ⵛⵛⵉⵏ /əʃːin/ |
| Hello | azul /azul/ | ⴰⵣⵓⵍ /azul/ | ⴰⵣⵓⵍ /azul/ | ⴰⵣⵓⵍ /azul/ | azul /azul/ | ⴰⵣⵓⵍ /azul/ | ⵎⴰ ⵜⵍⵍⴰ /ma təlːa/ |
| Thank you | tanemmirt /tanəmːiɾt/ | ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵎⵉⵔⵜ /tanmːiɾt/ | ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵎⵉⵔⵜ /tanmːiɾt/ | ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵎⵉⵔⵜ /tanəmːirt/ | tanmirt /tanmiɾt/ | ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵎⵉⵔⵜ /tanəmːiɾt/ | ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵎⵉⵔⵜ /tanəmːiɾt/ |
| Good | yelha /jəlħa/ | ⵉⴼⵓⵍⴽⵉ /ifulki/ | ⵉⴼⵓⵍⴽⵉ /ifulki/ | ⵉⴼⵓⵍⴽⵉ /ifulki/ | ighwdha /iʁʷða/ | ⵛⵏⵎⵓ /ʃenmu/ | ⵉⵀⵓⵙⵙⵏ /ihosːən/ |
| Cuckoo | ṭikkuk /tˤikˈkuk/ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Computer | aselkim /asəlkim/ | — | — | ⴰⵎⵙⵙⵓⴷⵙ /amsːuds/ | — | — | — |
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