ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖⵜ
Central Atlas Tamazight
Afro-Asiatic (Berber, Atlas)
Also known as: Central Atlas Tamazight, Tamazight
Central Atlas Tamazight is the central pillar of Moroccan Berber/Amazigh languages alongside Tashelhit (south) and Tarifit (north), with ~4.5M speakers in the Middle Atlas mountains. Co-official Amazigh language of Morocco since the 2011 constitutional reform. Used in education and Moroccan state TV channel TamazightTV (2010). Tifinagh script (revived as the official Amazigh script in 2003) coexists with Arabic and Latin orthographies. Notable verbal prefix-conjugation system retaining Proto-Berber forms; SVO/VSO flexibility.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Central Atlas Tamazight
Water
ⴰⵎⴰⵏ
/aman/
Fire
ⵜⵉⵎⵙ
/times/
Sun
ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽⵜ
/tafukt/
Moon
ⴰⵢⵢⵓⵔ
/ajːuɾ/
Star
ⵉⵜⵔⵉ
/itri/
Mother
ⵢⵎⵎⴰ
/jemːa/
Father
ⴱⴰⴱⴰ
/baba/
I
ⵏⴽⴽ
/nəkː/
You
ⵛⴽⴽ
/ʃəkː/
Name
ⵉⵙⵎ
/isəm/
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
/etʃː/
Drink
ⵙⵡ
/səw/
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, Atlas) languages
| Meaning | Central Atlas Tamazight | Tashelhit | Standard Moroccan Tamazight | Kabyle | Shawiya | Tarifit | Tamasheq (Tuareg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ | ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ | ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ | aman /aman/ | aman /aman/ | ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ | ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ |
| Fire | ⵜⵉⵎⵙ /times/ | ⵜⵉⵎⵙⵉ /timsi/ | 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 | ⵢⵎⵎⴰ /jemːa/ | ⵉⵎⵎⴰ /imːa/ | 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 | ⵏⴽⴽ /nəkː/ | ⵏⴽⴽⵉ /nəkːi/ | ⵏⴽⴽ /nəkː/ | nekk /nəkː/ | nec /nətʃ/ | ⵏⵜⵛ /nətʃ/ | ⵏⴽⴽ /nækː/ |
| You | ⵛⴽⴽ /ʃəkː/ | ⴽⵢⵢⵉ /kəjːi/ | ⴽⵢⵢⵉ /kəjːi/ | kečč /kətʃː/ | cek /ʃək/ | ⵛⴽ /ʃək/ | ⴽⵢ /kæj/ |
| Name | ⵉⵙⵎ /isəm/ | ⵉⵙⵎ /ism/ | 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 /etʃː/ | ⵛⵛ /tʃː/ | ⵛⵛ /ətʃː/ | ečč /ətʃː/ | etš /etʃ/ | ⵜⵛ /etʃ/ | ⴽⵛ /əkʃ/ |
| Drink | ⵙⵡ /səw/ | ⵙⵙⵓ /sːu/ | 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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