File:Map_of_Berber_Languages_2018.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Berber
Also known as Berber language, Berber languages, ber, Amazigh, Tamazight, Amazigh languages
branch of the Afroasiatic language family indigenous to North Africa
AI overview
Berber is a language family native to North Africa that belongs to the larger Afroasiatic language group. It matters because it represents an ancient indigenous linguistic tradition across the region and is spoken by millions of people across countries like Morocco and Algeria.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Described at
Tamazight — Google Arts & Culture
Discover Tamazight, the language family of North Africa's ancestors
artsandculture.google.com →Link to a page describing this subject · 9,283 chars · not written by Vinony
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Berber language - Tamazight.png
Show 5 more facts
- Commons category
- Berber languages
- number of speakers, writers, or signers
- 17000000
- described at URL
- artsandculture.google.com/story/tamazight/6wXxMxu7fPsWdA?hl=en
~33 min read
Article
The Berber languages (also known as the Amazigh languages or Tamazight) are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They comprise a group of closely related languages spoken by Berber communities, who are indigenous to North Africa. Historically, they have been written with the ancient Libyco-Berber script, which now exists in the form of Tifinagh. Today, they may also be written in the Berber Latin alphabet or the Arabic script, with Latin being the most widespread.
The Berber languages have a level of variety similar to the Romance languages, and with few exceptions form a dialect continuum. Regardless, they are frequently referred to as a single collective language, often as "Berber", "Tamazight", or "Amazigh". There is a debate as to how to best sub-categorize languages within the Berber branch. Berber languages typically follow verb–subject–object word order. Their phonological inventories are diverse. Outside of the various languages within it, there are currently two standardized national varities of Berber, Standard Algerian Amazigh, and Standard Moroccan Amazigh.