Tashelḥit
Tashelhit
Afro-Asiatic (Berber)
Also known as: Tashelhit, Shilha, Tachelhit
Tashelhit (Shilha, Tachelhit) is Morocco's largest Berber/Amazigh language, spoken by ~4.7M in the Western High Atlas, Anti-Atlas, and Souss Valley. Co-official Amazigh language of Morocco since the 2011 constitutional reform. Notable for the longest continuously documented Berber written tradition: Sufi religious poetry in Arabic-script Tashelhit dates from the 16th century (al-Hawḍ of al-Hawzālī, 1665). Three writing systems coexist: Tifinagh (revived official since 2003), Arabic script, and Latin transliteration.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Tashelhit
Water
ⴰⵎⴰⵏ
/aman/
Fire
ⵜⵉⵎⵙⵉ
/timsi/
Sun
ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽⵜ
/tafukt/
Moon
ⴰⵢⵢⵓⵔ
/ajːuɾ/
Star
ⵉⵜⵔⵉ
/itri/
Mother
ⵉⵎⵎⴰ
/imːa/
Father
ⴱⴰⴱⴰ
/baba/
I
ⵏⴽⴽⵉ
/nəkːi/
You
ⴽⵢⵢⵉ
/kəjːi/
Name
ⵉⵙⵎ
/ism/
Eye
ⵜⵉⵟⵟ
/titˤː/
Hand
ⴰⴼⵓⵙ
/afus/
Heart
ⵓⵍ
/ul/
Love
ⵜⴰⵢⵔⵉ
/tajɾi/
Tree
ⴰⵙⴽⵍⵓ
/aseklu/
House
ⵜⵉⴳⵎⵎⵉ
/tiɡemːi/
Dog
ⴰⵢⴷⵉ
/ajdi/
Cat
ⴰⵎⵓⵛ
/amuʃ/
Eat
ⵛⵛ
/tʃː/
Drink
ⵙⵙⵓ
/sːu/
One
ⵢⴰⵏ
/jan/
Two
ⵙⵉⵏ
/sin/
Hello
ⴰⵣⵓⵍ
/azul/
Thank you
ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵎⵉⵔⵜ
/tanmːiɾt/
Good
ⵉⴼⵓⵍⴽⵉ
/ifulki/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Afro-Asiatic (Berber) languages
| Meaning | Tashelhit | Central Atlas Tamazight | Standard Moroccan Tamazight | Kabyle | Shawiya | Tarifit | Tamasheq (Tuareg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ | ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ | ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ | aman /aman/ | aman /aman/ | ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ | ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ |
| Fire | ⵜⵉⵎⵙⵉ /timsi/ | ⵜⵉⵎⵙ /times/ | ⵜⵉⵎⵙⵙⵉ /timsːi/ | times /timəs/ | times /times/ | ⵜⵎⵙⵙⵉ /θmesːi/ | ⵜⵎⵙⵉ /təmsi/ |
| Sun | ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽⵜ /tafukt/ | ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽⵜ /tafukt/ | ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽⵜ /tafukt/ | iṭij /itˤiʒ/ | ittij /itːiʒ/ | ⵜⴼⵓⵢⵜ /θfujθ/ | ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽ /tafuk/ |
| Moon | ⴰⵢⵢⵓⵔ /ajːuɾ/ | ⴰⵢⵢⵓⵔ /ajːuɾ/ | ⴰⵢⵢⵓⵔ /ajːur/ | aggur /aɡːuɾ/ | ayur /ajuɾ/ | ⴰⵢⵢⵓⵔ /ajːuɾ/ | ⴰⵢⵓⵔ /ajor/ |
| Star | ⵉⵜⵔⵉ /itri/ | ⵉⵜⵔⵉ /itri/ | ⵉⵜⵔⵉ /itri/ | itri /itri/ | itri /iθri/ | ⵉⵜⵔⵉ /iθri/ | ⴰⵜⵔⵉ /atri/ |
| Mother | ⵉⵎⵎⴰ /imːa/ | ⵢⵎⵎⴰ /jemːa/ | ⵉⵎⵎⴰ /imːa/ | yemma /jəmːa/ | ima /ima/ | ⵢⵎⵎⴰ /jemːa/ | ⴰⵏⵏⴰ /anːa/ |
| Father | ⴱⴰⴱⴰ /baba/ | ⴱⴰⴱⴰ /baba/ | ⴱⴰⴱⴰ /baba/ | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ | ⴱⴰⴱⴰ /baba/ | ⴰⴱⴱⴰ /abba/ |
| I | ⵏⴽⴽⵉ /nəkːi/ | ⵏⴽⴽ /nəkː/ | ⵏⴽⴽ /nəkː/ | nekk /nəkː/ | nec /nətʃ/ | ⵏⵜⵛ /nətʃ/ | ⵏⴽⴽ /nækː/ |
| You | ⴽⵢⵢⵉ /kəjːi/ | ⵛⴽⴽ /ʃəkː/ | ⴽⵢⵢⵉ /kəjːi/ | kečč /kətʃː/ | cek /ʃək/ | ⵛⴽ /ʃək/ | ⴽⵢ /kæj/ |
| Name | ⵉⵙⵎ /ism/ | ⵉⵙⵎ /isəm/ | ⵉⵙⵎ /isəm/ | isem /isəm/ | isem /isəm/ | ⵉⵙⵎ /isəm/ | ⴻⵙⵎ /esæm/ |
| Eye | ⵜⵉⵟⵟ /titˤː/ | ⵜⵉⵟⵟ /titˤː/ | ⵜⵉⵟⵟ /titˤː/ | tiṭ /titˤ/ | tiṭ /titˤ/ | ⵜⵉⵟ /θitˤ/ | ⵜⵉⵟⵟ /titˤː/ |
| Hand | ⴰⴼⵓⵙ /afus/ | ⴰⴼⵓⵙ /afus/ | ⴰⴼⵓⵙ /afus/ | afus /afus/ | afus /afus/ | ⴼⵓⵙ /fus/ | ⴰⴼⵓⵙ /afus/ |
| Heart | ⵓⵍ /ul/ | ⵓⵍ /ul/ | ⵓⵍ /ul/ | ul /ul/ | ul /ul/ | ⵓⵍ /ul/ | ⵓⵍ /ul/ |
| Love | ⵜⴰⵢⵔⵉ /tajɾi/ | ⵜⴰⵢⵔⵉ /tajɾi/ | ⵜⴰⵢⵔⵉ /tajri/ | tayri /tajɾi/ | tayri /tajɾi/ | ⵜⴰⵢⵔⵉ /tajɾi/ | ⵜⴰⵔⴰ /tara/ |
| Tree | ⴰⵙⴽⵍⵓ /aseklu/ | ⴰⵙⴽⵍⵓ /aseklu/ | ⴰⵙⴽⵍⵓ /asəklu/ | ttejra /tːəʒɾa/ | aseklu /asekːlu/ | ⴰⵙⵖⴰⵔ /asʁaɾ/ | ⴰⵛⴽ /aʃək/ |
| House | ⵜⵉⴳⵎⵎⵉ /tiɡemːi/ | ⵜⵉⴳⵎⵎⵉ /tiɡemːi/ | ⵜⵉⴳⵎⵎⵉ /tiɡəmːi/ | axxam /aχːam/ | axxam /axːam/ | ⵜⴰⴷⴷⴰⵔⵜ /θadːaɾt/ | ⴻⵀⵏ /ehən/ |
| Dog | ⴰⵢⴷⵉ /ajdi/ | ⴰⵢⴷⵉ /ajdi/ | ⴰⵢⴷⵉ /ajdi/ | aydi /ajdi/ | aydi /ajdi/ | ⴰⵢⴷⵉ /ajdi/ | ⴰⵢⴷⵉ /ajdi/ |
| Cat | ⴰⵎⵓⵛ /amuʃ/ | ⴰⵎⵓⵛ /amuʃ/ | ⴰⵎⵓⵛⵛ /amutʃː/ | amcic /amʃiʃ/ | mucc /mutʃː/ | ⵎⵓⵛⵛ /mutʃː/ | ⴰⵎⵓⵛ /amuʃ/ |
| Eat | ⵛⵛ /tʃː/ | ⵛⵛ /etʃː/ | ⵛⵛ /ətʃː/ | ečč /ətʃː/ | etš /etʃ/ | ⵜⵛ /etʃ/ | ⴽⵛ /əkʃ/ |
| Drink | ⵙⵙⵓ /sːu/ | ⵙⵡ /səw/ | ⵙⵓ /su/ | sew /səw/ | su /su/ | ⵙⵓ /su/ | ⵙⵓ /əsu/ |
| One | ⵢⴰⵏ /jan/ | ⵢⴰⵏ /jan/ | ⵢⴰⵏ /jan/ | yiwen /jiwən/ | ijj /ijː/ | ⵉⵊⵊ /ijː/ | ⵉⵢⵏ /ijən/ |
| Two | ⵙⵉⵏ /sin/ | ⵙⵉⵏ /sin/ | ⵙⵉⵏ /sin/ | sin /sin/ | sen /sən/ | ⵜⵏⴰⵢⵏ /θnajən/ | ⵛⵛⵉⵏ /əʃːin/ |
| Hello | ⴰⵣⵓⵍ /azul/ | ⴰⵣⵓⵍ /azul/ | ⴰⵣⵓⵍ /azul/ | azul /azul/ | azul /azul/ | ⴰⵣⵓⵍ /azul/ | ⵎⴰ ⵜⵍⵍⴰ /ma təlːa/ |
| Thank you | ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵎⵉⵔⵜ /tanmːiɾt/ | ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵎⵉⵔⵜ /tanmːiɾt/ | ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵎⵉⵔⵜ /tanəmːirt/ | tanemmirt /tanəmːiɾt/ | tanmirt /tanmiɾt/ | ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵎⵉⵔⵜ /tanəmːiɾt/ | ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵎⵉⵔⵜ /tanəmːiɾt/ |
| Good | ⵉⴼⵓⵍⴽⵉ /ifulki/ | ⵉⴼⵓⵍⴽⵉ /ifulki/ | ⵉⴼⵓⵍⴽⵉ /ifulki/ | yelha /jəlħa/ | ighwdha /iʁʷða/ | ⵛⵏⵎⵓ /ʃenmu/ | ⵉⵀⵓⵙⵙⵏ /ihosːən/ |
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