Tarifiyt
Tarifit
Afro-Asiatic (Berber, Northern)
Also known as: Tarifit, Riffian, Berber Rif
Tarifit / Riffian (ⵜⴰⵔⵉⴼⵉⵜ Tarifit, ⵜⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖⵜ ⵏ ⴰⵔⵉⴼ) is a Northern Berber language spoken by ~5M people in Morocco's mountainous Rif region (Nador, Al Hoceima, Driouch) and in the large North Moroccan diaspora in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Germany. Co-official as part of Tamazight in Morocco's 2011 constitution. Distinguished from neighboring Tashelhit and Central Atlas Tamazight by spirantization (k → š, t → θ in many varieties), heavy phonological contact with Arabic, and the post-1958 Rif War political legacy of Abd el-Krim's short-lived Republic of the Rif.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Tarifit
Water
ⴰⵎⴰⵏ
/aman/
Fire
ⵜⵎⵙⵙⵉ
/θmesːi/
Sun
ⵜⴼⵓⵢⵜ
/θfujθ/
Moon
ⴰⵢⵢⵓⵔ
/ajːuɾ/
Star
ⵉⵜⵔⵉ
/iθri/
Mother
ⵢⵎⵎⴰ
/jemːa/
Father
ⴱⴰⴱⴰ
/baba/
I
ⵏⵜⵛ
/nətʃ/
You
ⵛⴽ
/ʃək/
Name
ⵉⵙⵎ
/isəm/
Eye
ⵜⵉⵟ
/θitˤ/
Hand
ⴼⵓⵙ
/fus/
Heart
ⵓⵍ
/ul/
Love
ⵜⴰⵢⵔⵉ
/tajɾi/
Tree
ⴰⵙⵖⴰⵔ
/asʁaɾ/
House
ⵜⴰⴷⴷⴰⵔⵜ
/θadːaɾt/
Dog
ⴰⵢⴷⵉ
/ajdi/
Cat
ⵎⵓⵛⵛ
/mutʃː/
Eat
ⵜⵛ
/etʃ/
Drink
ⵙⵓ
/su/
One
ⵉⵊⵊ
/ijː/
Two
ⵜⵏⴰⵢⵏ
/θnajən/
Hello
ⴰⵣⵓⵍ
/azul/
Thank you
ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵎⵉⵔⵜ
/tanəmːiɾt/
Good
ⵛⵏⵎⵓ
/ʃenmu/
Sources
- Ethnologue: rif
- Lafkioui (2007) Atlas linguistique des variétés berbères du Rif
- El Hannouche (2010) Ghomara Berber: A Sketch Grammar
Words compared
Compared with related Afro-Asiatic (Berber, Northern) languages
| Meaning | Tarifit | Shawiya | Central Atlas Tamazight | Standard Moroccan Tamazight | Tashelhit | Kabyle | Tamasheq (Tuareg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ | aman /aman/ | ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ | ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ | ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ | aman /aman/ | ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ |
| Fire | ⵜⵎⵙⵙⵉ /θmesːi/ | times /times/ | ⵜⵉⵎⵙ /times/ | ⵜⵉⵎⵙⵙⵉ /timsːi/ | ⵜⵉⵎⵙⵉ /timsi/ | times /timəs/ | ⵜⵎⵙⵉ /təmsi/ |
| Sun | ⵜⴼⵓⵢⵜ /θfujθ/ | ittij /itːiʒ/ | ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽⵜ /tafukt/ | ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽⵜ /tafukt/ | ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽⵜ /tafukt/ | iṭij /itˤiʒ/ | ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽ /tafuk/ |
| Moon | ⴰⵢⵢⵓⵔ /ajːuɾ/ | ayur /ajuɾ/ | ⴰⵢⵢⵓⵔ /ajːuɾ/ | ⴰⵢⵢⵓⵔ /ajːur/ | ⴰⵢⵢⵓⵔ /ajːuɾ/ | aggur /aɡːuɾ/ | ⴰⵢⵓⵔ /ajor/ |
| Star | ⵉⵜⵔⵉ /iθri/ | itri /iθri/ | ⵉⵜⵔⵉ /itri/ | ⵉⵜⵔⵉ /itri/ | ⵉⵜⵔⵉ /itri/ | itri /itri/ | ⴰⵜⵔⵉ /atri/ |
| Mother | ⵢⵎⵎⴰ /jemːa/ | ima /ima/ | ⵢⵎⵎⴰ /jemːa/ | ⵉⵎⵎⴰ /imːa/ | ⵉⵎⵎⴰ /imːa/ | yemma /jəmːa/ | ⴰⵏⵏⴰ /anːa/ |
| Father | ⴱⴰⴱⴰ /baba/ | baba /baba/ | ⴱⴰⴱⴰ /baba/ | ⴱⴰⴱⴰ /baba/ | ⴱⴰⴱⴰ /baba/ | baba /baba/ | ⴰⴱⴱⴰ /abba/ |
| I | ⵏⵜⵛ /nətʃ/ | nec /nətʃ/ | ⵏⴽⴽ /nəkː/ | ⵏⴽⴽ /nəkː/ | ⵏⴽⴽⵉ /nəkːi/ | nekk /nəkː/ | ⵏⴽⴽ /nækː/ |
| You | ⵛⴽ /ʃək/ | cek /ʃək/ | ⵛⴽⴽ /ʃəkː/ | ⴽⵢⵢⵉ /kəjːi/ | ⴽⵢⵢⵉ /kəjːi/ | kečč /kətʃː/ | ⴽⵢ /kæj/ |
| Name | ⵉⵙⵎ /isəm/ | isem /isəm/ | ⵉⵙⵎ /isəm/ | ⵉⵙⵎ /isəm/ | ⵉⵙⵎ /ism/ | isem /isəm/ | ⴻⵙⵎ /esæm/ |
| Eye | ⵜⵉⵟ /θitˤ/ | tiṭ /titˤ/ | ⵜⵉⵟⵟ /titˤː/ | ⵜⵉⵟⵟ /titˤː/ | ⵜⵉⵟⵟ /titˤː/ | tiṭ /titˤ/ | ⵜⵉⵟⵟ /titˤː/ |
| Hand | ⴼⵓⵙ /fus/ | afus /afus/ | ⴰⴼⵓⵙ /afus/ | ⴰⴼⵓⵙ /afus/ | ⴰⴼⵓⵙ /afus/ | afus /afus/ | ⴰⴼⵓⵙ /afus/ |
| Heart | ⵓⵍ /ul/ | ul /ul/ | ⵓⵍ /ul/ | ⵓⵍ /ul/ | ⵓⵍ /ul/ | ul /ul/ | ⵓⵍ /ul/ |
| Love | ⵜⴰⵢⵔⵉ /tajɾi/ | tayri /tajɾi/ | ⵜⴰⵢⵔⵉ /tajɾi/ | ⵜⴰⵢⵔⵉ /tajri/ | ⵜⴰⵢⵔⵉ /tajɾi/ | tayri /tajɾi/ | ⵜⴰⵔⴰ /tara/ |
| Tree | ⴰⵙⵖⴰⵔ /asʁaɾ/ | aseklu /asekːlu/ | ⴰⵙⴽⵍⵓ /aseklu/ | ⴰⵙⴽⵍⵓ /asəklu/ | ⴰⵙⴽⵍⵓ /aseklu/ | ttejra /tːəʒɾa/ | ⴰⵛⴽ /aʃək/ |
| House | ⵜⴰⴷⴷⴰⵔⵜ /θadːaɾt/ | axxam /axːam/ | ⵜⵉⴳⵎⵎⵉ /tiɡemːi/ | ⵜⵉⴳⵎⵎⵉ /tiɡəmːi/ | ⵜⵉⴳⵎⵎⵉ /tiɡemːi/ | axxam /aχːam/ | ⴻⵀⵏ /ehən/ |
| Dog | ⴰⵢⴷⵉ /ajdi/ | aydi /ajdi/ | ⴰⵢⴷⵉ /ajdi/ | ⴰⵢⴷⵉ /ajdi/ | ⴰⵢⴷⵉ /ajdi/ | aydi /ajdi/ | ⴰⵢⴷⵉ /ajdi/ |
| Cat | ⵎⵓⵛⵛ /mutʃː/ | mucc /mutʃː/ | ⴰⵎⵓⵛ /amuʃ/ | ⴰⵎⵓⵛⵛ /amutʃː/ | ⴰⵎⵓⵛ /amuʃ/ | amcic /amʃiʃ/ | ⴰⵎⵓⵛ /amuʃ/ |
| Eat | ⵜⵛ /etʃ/ | etš /etʃ/ | ⵛⵛ /etʃː/ | ⵛⵛ /ətʃː/ | ⵛⵛ /tʃː/ | ečč /ətʃː/ | ⴽⵛ /əkʃ/ |
| Drink | ⵙⵓ /su/ | su /su/ | ⵙⵡ /səw/ | ⵙⵓ /su/ | ⵙⵙⵓ /sːu/ | sew /səw/ | ⵙⵓ /əsu/ |
| One | ⵉⵊⵊ /ijː/ | ijj /ijː/ | ⵢⴰⵏ /jan/ | ⵢⴰⵏ /jan/ | ⵢⴰⵏ /jan/ | yiwen /jiwən/ | ⵉⵢⵏ /ijən/ |
| Two | ⵜⵏⴰⵢⵏ /θnajən/ | sen /sən/ | ⵙⵉⵏ /sin/ | ⵙⵉⵏ /sin/ | ⵙⵉⵏ /sin/ | sin /sin/ | ⵛⵛⵉⵏ /əʃːin/ |
| Hello | ⴰⵣⵓⵍ /azul/ | azul /azul/ | ⴰⵣⵓⵍ /azul/ | ⴰⵣⵓⵍ /azul/ | ⴰⵣⵓⵍ /azul/ | azul /azul/ | ⵎⴰ ⵜⵍⵍⴰ /ma təlːa/ |
| Thank you | ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵎⵉⵔⵜ /tanəmːiɾt/ | tanmirt /tanmiɾt/ | ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵎⵉⵔⵜ /tanmːiɾt/ | ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵎⵉⵔⵜ /tanəmːirt/ | ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵎⵉⵔⵜ /tanmːiɾt/ | tanemmirt /tanəmːiɾt/ | ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵎⵉⵔⵜ /tanəmːiɾt/ |
| Good | ⵛⵏⵎⵓ /ʃenmu/ | ighwdha /iʁʷða/ | ⵉⴼⵓⵍⴽⵉ /ifulki/ | ⵉⴼⵓⵍⴽⵉ /ifulki/ | ⵉⴼⵓⵍⴽⵉ /ifulki/ | yelha /jəlħa/ | ⵉⵀⵓⵙⵙⵏ /ihosːən/ |
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