Standard Moroccan Amazigh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Standard Moroccan Amazigh |
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| Standard Moroccan Tamazight ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖⵜ ⵜⴰⵏⴰⵡⴰⵢⵜ tamaziɣt tanawayt |
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| Native to | Morocco |
| Date | 2011 |
| Native speakers | None (date missing) |
| Language family |
Afro-Asiatic
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| Writing system | Tifinagh |
| Official status | |
| Official language in |  Morocco |
| Regulated by | Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture |
| Person | Amaziɣ (male) Tamaziɣt (female) |
|---|---|
| People | Imaziɣen (males or males and females) Timaziɣin (females) |
| Language | Tamaziɣt |
Standard Moroccan Amazigh (ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖⵜ ⵜⴰⵏⴰⵡⴰⵢⵜ) is also called Standard Moroccan Tamazight. It is a special language created in Morocco. The Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture (IRCAM) made this language. They combined parts of three main Amazigh languages spoken in Morocco: Tashelhit, Central Atlas Tamazight, and Tarifit.
Since 2011, Standard Moroccan Amazigh has been an official language in Morocco. People often call it Tamazight, Amazigh, or Berber. However, these names can also mean other Amazigh languages or all Amazigh languages together.
Contents
How This Language Started
In 1993, about 40 to 60 percent of people in Morocco spoke Tamazight. This included Tashelhit, Central Atlas Tamazight, or Tarifit as their first language. After Morocco became independent in 1956, some groups wanted Tamazight to be used more officially. They wanted it in public places and government.
In the 1980s, cultural groups also asked for Tamazight to be standardized. This meant making one official way to write and speak it. In 2001, the IRCAM was created. Its job was to teach Tamazight in schools. For this to happen, they needed a standard way to write it. They also needed dictionaries and textbooks.
In 2011, Morocco's constitution was changed. This made Tamazight an official language of the country.
How Standard Amazigh Was Made
To create Standard Moroccan Amazigh, IRCAM looked at written texts. They studied Tashelhit, Central Atlas Tamazight, and Tarifit. They added many verbs to the new language.
They also added words that meant the same thing across different languages. For example, taddart (from Central Atlas Tamazight) and tigammi (from Tashelhit) both mean "house." So, both words were included in Standard Moroccan Amazigh.
If a word was not found in any of the three main languages, IRCAM looked at other Amazigh languages. If they still couldn't find a word, they would create a new one. They would use existing Tamazight words to build new ones.
Choosing a Writing System
Amazigh languages have been written in different ways. People used the Arabic script, the Berber Latin alphabet, or Tifinagh. In 2003, IRCAM chose Neo-Tifinagh as the official writing system. This was part of the standardization process.
This choice was a bit controversial. Many people, even on the committee, disagreed. It was chosen more for political reasons than for how easy it was to use. Most Moroccans who speak Tamazight do not use Tifinagh.
The Neo-Tifinagh used by IRCAM is slightly different from other versions. As of 2016, Tifinagh is mostly seen on public signs. It is not widely used in schools or in the media.
Why Some People Disagree
Many people, especially Amazigh activists, did not like the choice of Tifinagh in 2003. They felt it was not practical. They thought it would make it harder to promote Tamazight. Most Amazigh speakers in Morocco use the Latin alphabet. Also, the Latin alphabet is official for Amazigh languages outside Morocco.
Some critics believed choosing Tifinagh limited the language. They felt it stopped Morocco from connecting with other Amazigh cultures in North Africa. Some even thought it was a plan by the government to slow down the language's progress. A linguist named Salem Chaker said the decision was "dangerous." He thought it would lead to a "dead end" for Amazigh writing and teaching.
However, not everyone agreed with using the Latin alphabet. A survey in 2011 showed that 45.5% of people thought Tifinagh was the best script for Tamazight.
In practice, school textbooks use all three main dialects. But in other materials from IRCAM, Tashelhit seems to be the main basis. This has led some people to say that Morocco's language policy is not fair to all dialects. They feel it makes other Amazigh dialects "non-standard." This includes dialects like "Iznasen Tamazight" and "Senhaja-Ktama Tamazight."
See also
In Spanish: Amazig estándar marroquí para niños
- Libyco-Berber alphabet
- 2011 Moroccan constitutional referendum
