Kabyle language

Kabyle () or Kabylian (; native name: ) is a Berber language spoken by the Kabyle people in the north and northeast of Algeria. It is spoken primarily in Kabylia.

Estimating the number of Berber speakers is very difficult and figures are often contested. A 2004 estimate was that 9.4% of the Algerian population spoke Kabyle. The number of diaspora speakers has been estimated at one million.

Classification

thumb|right|A Kabyle speaker, recorded in [[Algeria]]

Kabyle is one of the Northern Berber languages, a branch of the Berber language family within Afroasiatic. It is believed to have broken off very early from Proto-Berber, although after the Zenaga language did so. According to Kossmann (2020), Kabyle appears to be quite distinct. In several respects, it shares certain linguistic innovations with the western Moroccan dialect group. However, it is unclear whether these similarities result from an earlier expansion of that group into Algeria, which was later interrupted by the spread of Zenati dialects, or whether they represent independent, parallel developments.

Distribution

Geographical distribution

thumb|Map of the linguistic situation of Kabyle in eastern Algeria.

250px|thumb|right|Distribution of Kabyle speakers in 1870 and 1939.

Kabyle Berber is native to Kabylia. It is present in seven Algerian districts. Approximately one-third of Algerians are Berber-speakers, clustered mostly near Algiers, in Kabylian and Shawi, but with some communities related to Kabyle in the west (Shenwa languages), east and south of the country. The populations of Béjaïa (Bgayet), Bouïra (Tubirett) and Tizi Ouzou (Tizi Wezzu) provinces are in majority Kabyle-speaking. In addition, Kabyle is mainly spoken in the provinces of Boumerdès, and as well as in Bordj Bou Arréridj, Jijel, and in Algiers where it coexists with Algerian Arabic.

Kabyle Berber is also spoken as a native language among the Algerian Kabyle-descended diaspora in European and North American cities (mainly France). It is estimated that half of Kabyles live outside the Kabylian region.

Number of speakers

Estimates on the number of Kabyle speakers in the region vary widely, with different dates and data given for different points of time. As such the number of Kabyle speakers varies considerably depending on different sources given. French ethnologist estimates four million Kabyle speakers in 2001 in Algeria. According to the International Encyclopedia of Linguistics there were million speakers in Kabylia in 2003 out of million worldwide. In 2004, Canadian linguist estimated that there were million Kabyle speakers in Algeria (9.4% of the total Algerian population) Salem Chaker estimated there were 5.5 million speakers in 2004, including 3 to 3.5 in Kabylia. The Encyclopædia Universalis gives 7 million Kabyle speakers. The French Ministry of Culture estimated there were one million Kabyle speakers in France in 2013. Linguist Matthias Brenzinger estimates the number of Kabyle speakers in Algeria at between 2.5 and 3 million in 2015. Bruce Maddy-Weitzman's 2018 estimate is more than 5 million Kabyle speakers in Kabylie. Linguist Asya Pereltsvaig gives 5.6 million Kabyle speakers worldwide in 2020, mostly in Algeria. In 2021, Amina Mettouchi, professor of Berber linguistics, estimated the number of speakers at five million worldwide and more than three million in Algeria. In 2022, according to Ethnologue there were million speakers worldwide, including million in Algeria.

Dialects

thumb|right|Geographic distribution of Kabyle dialects

Many identify two dialects: Greater Kabylie (west) and Lesser Kabylie (east), but the reality is more complex than that, Kabyle dialects constitute a dialect continuum that can be divided into four main dialects (from west to east):

Far-western: villages such as Tizi-Ghennif, Boghni and Draa el Mizan.
Western: villages such as At Menguellat, At Yiraten, At Aïssi, At Yanni,
Eastern:
Eastern-West: villages such as At Mlikeche, Eastern-center: At Aïdel, At Khiar
Eastern-East: villages such as At Sliman.
Far-eastern: villages such as Aokas, Melbou, At Smail. Also known as Tasaḥlit and considered as a separate language by some according to Ethnologue. Mutual intelligibility with Far-western is difficult to absent.

{| class="wikitable"

|+ Phonological differences

! colspan=1 rowspan=2 |

! colspan=1 rowspan=2 | Far-western

! colspan=1 rowspan=2 | Western

! colspan=2 rowspan=1 | Eastern

! colspan=1 rowspan=2 | Far-eastern

|- style="text-align:center;"

! West || East

|- style="text-align:center;"

!Gemination of /w/

| bbʷ || bbʷ || ggʷ || ββ || ww

|- style="text-align:center;"

!Assimilation of /n/ + /w/

| bbʷ || bbʷ || ! colspan=2 | ggʷ || nw

|- style="text-align:center;"

! Labialization

| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✗ || ✗

|- style="text-align:center;"

!Assimilation of /n/ + /y/

| gg || gg || gg || yy || y

|- style="text-align:center;"

! affricates /ts/ and /dz/

| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✗ || ✗

|- style="text-align:center;"

! ḍ

| ḍ || ḍ || ḍ || ṭ || ṭ

{| class="wikitable"

|+ Grammatical differences

! colspan=1 rowspan=2 |

! colspan=1 rowspan=2 | Far-western

! colspan=1 rowspan=2 | Western

! colspan=2 rowspan=1 | Eastern

! colspan=2 rowspan=1 | Far-eastern

|- style="text-align:center;"

! West || East || || Aokas

|- style="text-align:center;"

! Verb-framing with n

| ✓ || ✓ || ! colspan=2 | ✗ || ! colspan=2 | ✗

|- style="text-align:center;"

! Possessive pronouns (ex: 3rd m)

| -nnes || -is, -ines || ! colspan=2 | -is, -ines ||! colspan=2 | -is

|- style="text-align:center;"

! Aorist preverb ad

| ad || ad || ! colspan=2 | ad || ad || di

Lexical differences

With the exception of the far-eastern dialect, much of the vocabulary of Kabyle is common across its dialects, though some lexical differences exist, e.g. the word dream in English (from west to east): bargu, argu, argu, bureg.

Status and usage

thumb|Entrance arch in [[Taourga with welcome sign (Ansuf yiswen) in Kabyle]]

Multilingualism and language shift

Almost all Berber speakers are multilingual, in Arabic and often also in French. Kabyle is still strong in villages but urban Kabyles in Algeria are increasingly shifting to Arabic and diaspora Kabyles to the surrounding language. A 2013 study found that 54% of Kabyles living in Oran spoke Arabic to their siblings.

Official status

After the 2001–02 widespread Kabyle protests known as the Black Spring, the Berber (Amazigh) language (with all its Algerian dialects and varieties) was recognized as a 'national language' in the 2002 Algerian Constitution, but not as an 'official language' until 2016 after a long campaign by activists. French is not recognized in any legal document of Algeria but enjoys a de facto position of an official language as it is used in every Algerian official administration or institution, at all levels of the government, sometimes much more than Arabic.

The Berber (Amazigh) language faces an unfavourable environment, despite a public radio in Algeria (Channel II, which dates back to 1925), as well as a public TV channel in Morocco (Channel IV or Tamazight TV). Since private ownership of TV channels is illegal in Algeria, Kabyles have launched a private Kabyle speaking TV channel, called Berbère Television, that broadcasts from France.

In 1994, Kabyle pupils and students boycotted Algerian schools for a year, demanding the officialization of Berber, leading to the symbolic creation of the "Haut commissariat à l'amazighité" (HCA) in 1995. Berber was subsequently taught as a non-compulsory language in Berber speaking areas. The course being optional, few people attend. The Kabyle school boycott also resulted in the first recognition of Amazigh as a national language in November 1996.

President Bouteflika has frequently stated that "Amazigh (the Berber language) will never be an official language, and if it has to be a national language, it must be submitted to a referendum". In 2005, President Bouteflika, stated that "there is no country in the world with two official languages" and "this will never be the case of Algeria". Nevertheless, after four decades of pacific struggle, riots, strikes, and social mobilization, including the Berber spring (1980, riots and strikes in the Kabylie region of Tizi Ouzou, Bouira and Bejaïa, as well as Algiers) and the Black Spring in 2001, President Bouteflika and his government recognized Amazigh (Berber) as a "national language" for the second time through a 2002 constitutional amendment.

In February 2016, the Algerian parliament passed a constitutional amendment that made Amazight an official language alongside Arabic.

Phonology

The phonemes below reflect the pronunciation of Kabyle.

Vowels

Kabyle has three phonemic vowels:

{| class="wikitable"

|+ Kabyle vowel phonemes

!Front

!Central

!Back

|- style="text-align:center;"

!Close

| || ||

|- style="text-align:center;"

!Open

| || ||

is used to write the epenthetic schwa vowel which occurs frequently in Kabyle. Historically, it is thought to be the result of a pan-Berber reduction or merger of three other vowels.

The phonetic realization of the vowels, especially , is influenced by the character of the surrounding consonants; emphatic consonants invite a more open realization of the vowel, e.g. aẓru = 'stone' vs. amud = 'seed'. Often /a, i, u/ are realized as .

Consonants

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"

|+ Kabyle consonant phonemes

! rowspan="2" colspan=2 |

! colspan="2" | Labial

! colspan="2" | Dental

! colspan="2" | Alveolar

! colspan="2" | Post- alveolar

! colspan="2" | Palatal

! colspan="2" | Velar

! colspan="2" | Uvular

! rowspan="2" | Pharyn- geal

! rowspan="2" | Glottal

! ||

! rowspan="2" | Plosive/ Affricate

| (t )

| ṭ

| tt

| č

| (k )

| k

| q

| (b )

| b

| (d )

| zz

| ǧ

| (g )

| g

| (q )

! rowspan="2" | Fricative

| f

| t

| s

| ṣ

| c

| k

| x

| ḥ

| h

| b

| d

| ḍ

| z

| ẓ

| j

| g

| ɣ

| ɛ

! colspan="2" | Nasal

| m

| n

! colspan="2" | Trill

| r

| ṛ

! colspan="2" | Approximant

| l

| y

| w

Assimilation

In the Kabyle language there are various accents which are the result of assimilations (these accents are generally divided into western and eastern Kabyle). Some of these assimilations are present among all Kabyle "dialects" and some not. These assimilations are not noted in writing, such as:

Axxam n wergaz ("the house of the man") is pronounced either "axxam n wergaz", "axxam bb wergaz" or "axxam pp wergaz". (N+W=BB)
D taqcict ("it's a girl") is pronounced "tsaqcict". (D+T=TS)
Here is a list of some of these assimilations: D/T+T=TS, N+W=BB/PP, I+Y=IG.

Gemination affects the quality of certain consonants, turning semivowels and fricatives into stops; in particular, geminated ɣ becomes qq, geminated y becomes gg, and geminated w becomes bb.

Fricatives vs. stops

Kabyle is mostly composed of fricatives, phonemes which are originally stops in other Berber languages, but in writing there is no difference between fricatives and stops. Below is a list of fricatives vs. stops and when they are pronounced (note that gemination turns fricatives into stops).

{| class="wikitable"

! style="text-align:right;" | Consonant

! B || D || G || K || T

! style="text-align:right;" | Fricative

| || || || ||

! style="text-align:right;" | Stop

| || || || ||

|- class="Unicode"

! style="text-align:right;" | Is a stop after

| m || l,n || b,j,r,z,ɛ || f,b,s,l,r,n,ḥ,c,ɛ || l,m,n

|- class="Unicode"

! style="text-align:right;" | Is a stop in the words (and their derivatives)

| || || ngeb, ngeḥ, ngeẓwer, angaẓ, ngedwi, nages, ngedwal || ||

Writing system

thumb|left|A trilingual sign in Algeria, written in Arabic, Kabyle (using Tifinagh), and French

thumb|Kabyle language edition of [[Wikipedia]]

The most ancient Berber writings were written in the Libyco-Berber script, mostly from Numidian and Roman times. This script was an abjad, and is not yet completely deciphered today. Deciphered scripts are mostly funerary, following a simple formula of "X son of Y" (X u Y) which is still used to this day in the Kabyle language.

Examples:

Free: Yewwet aqcic. "He has beaten a boy". (Verb–object)
Annexed: Yewwet weqcic. "The boy has beaten". (Verb–subject)

After a preposition (with the exception of "ar" and "s"), all nouns take their annexed state:

Free state: Aman (water), Kas n waman (a glass of water).

Verbs

Verbs are conjugated for three tenses: the preterite (past), intensive aorist (present perfect, present continuous, past continuous) and the future (ad+aorist). Unlike other Berber languages, the aorist alone is rarely used in Kabyle (in the other languages it is used to express the present).

"Weak verbs" have a preterite form that is the same as their aorist. Examples of weak verbs that follow are conjugated at the first person of the singular:

{| class="wikitable"

! Verb

! Preterite

! Ad + aorist

! Intensive aorist

! If (to outdo)

| ifeɣ

| ad ifeɣ

| ttifeɣ

! Muqel (to observe)

| muqleɣ

| ad muqleɣ

| ttmuquleɣ

! Krez (to plough)

| kerzeɣ

| ad kerzeɣ

| kerrzeɣ

"Strong verbs" or "irregular verbs":

{| class="wikitable"

! Verb

! Preterite

! Ad + aorist

! Intensive aorist

! Aru (to write)

| uriɣ

| ad aruɣ

| ttaruɣ

{| class="wikitable"

|+ Kabyle subject affixes

! colspan="2" | Person

! sg.

! pl.

! colspan="2" | 1

| ... -ɣ

| n-...

! rowspan="2" | 2

! m

| rowspan="2" | t-... -ḍ

| t-... -m

! f

| t-... -mt

! rowspan="2" | 3

! m

| i/y-...

| ... -n

! f

| t-...

| ... -nt

</div>

Verbs are conjugated for person by adding affixes. These suffixes are static and identical for all tenses (only the theme changes). The epenthetic vowel e may be inserted between the affix and the verb. Verbs are always marked for subject and may also inflect for person of direct and indirect object.

Examples:

: « Yuɣ-it. » – "He bought it." (He.bought-it)

: « Yenna-yas. » – "He said to him." (He.said-to.him)

: « Yefka-yas-t. » – "He gave it to him." (He.gave-to.him-it)

Kabyle is a satellite-framed based language, Kabyle verbs use two particles to show the path of motion:

d orients toward the speaker, and could be translated as "here".
n orients toward the interlocutor or toward a certain place, and could be translated as "there".

Examples:

« iruḥ-d » (he came), « iruḥ-n » (he went).
« awi-d aman» (bring the water), « awi-n aman » (carry away the water).

Kabyle usually expresses negation in two parts, with the particle ur attached to the verb, and one or more negative words that modify the verb or one of its arguments. For example, simple verbal negation is expressed by « ur » before the verb and the particle « ara » after the verb:

« Urareɣ » ("I played") → « Ur urareɣ ara » ("I did not play")

Other negative words (acemma... etc.) are used in combination with ur to express more complex types of negation. This system developed via Jespersen's cycle.

Verb derivation is performed by adding affixes. There are three types of derivation forms: causative, reflexive and passive.

Causative: obtained by prefixing the verb with s- / sse- / ssu-:

::ffeɣ "to go out" → ssuffeɣ "to make to go out"

::kcem "to enter" → ssekcem "to make to enter, to introduce"

::irid "to be washed" → ssired "to wash".

Reflexive: obtained by prefixing the verb with m- / my(e)- / myu-:

::ẓer "to see" → mẓer "to see each other"

::ṭṭef "to hold" → myuṭṭaf "to hold each other".

Passive: is obtained by prefixing the verb with ttu- / ttwa- / tt- / mm(e)- / n- / nn-:

::krez "to plough" → ttwakrez "to be ploughed"

::ečč "to eat" → mmečč "to be eaten".

Complex forms: obtained by combining two or more of the previous prefixes:

::enɣ "to kill" → mmenɣ "to kill each other" → smenɣ "to make to kill each other"

Two prefixes can cancel each other:

::enz "to be sold" → zzenz "to sell" → ttuzenz "to be sold" (ttuzenz = enz !!).

Every verb has a corresponding agent noun. In English it could be translated into verb+er. It is obtained by prefixing the verb with « am- » or with « an- » if the first letter is b / f / m / w (there are exceptions, however).

Examples:

::ṭṭef "to hold" → anaṭṭaf "holder"

::inig "to travel" → iminig "traveller"

::eks "to graze" → ameksa "shepherd"

Verbal nouns are derived differently from different classes of verbal stems (including 'quality verbs'). Often a- or t(u)- is prefixed:

::ffer "to hide" → tuffra "hiding" (stem VI), « Tuffra n tidett ur telhi » – "Hiding the truth is bad".

::ɣeẓẓ "to bite" → aɣẓaẓ

::zdi "to be united" → azday

::ini "to say" → timenna

Pronouns

Pronouns may either occur as standalone words or bound to nouns or verbs.

{| class="wikitable"

! colspan="2" | Person

! Singular

! Plural

! rowspan="2" | 1st

! m

| nekk / nekkini

| nekni

! f

| nekk / nekkini

| nekkenti

! rowspan="2" | 2nd

! m

| kečč / kečči / keččini

| kunwi / kenwi

! f

| kemm / kemmi / kemmini

| kunnemti / kennemti

! rowspan="2" | 3rd

! m

| netta / nettan / nettani

| nutni / nitni

! f

| nettat

| nutenti / nitenti

Example: « Ula d nekk. » – "Me too."

Possessive pronouns are bound to the modified noun.

{| class="wikitable"

! colspan="2" | Person

! Singular

! Plural

! rowspan="2" | 1st

! m

| (i)w / inu

| nneɣ

! f

| (i)w / inu

| nnteɣ

! rowspan="2" | 2nd

! m

| (i)k / inek

| nwen

! f

| (i)m / inem

| nkent

! rowspan="2" | 3rd

! m

| (i)s / ines

| nsen

! f

| (i)s / ines

| nsent

Example : « Axxam-nneɣ. » – "Our house." (House-our)

There are three demonstratives, near-deictic ('this, these'), far-deictic ('that, those') and absence. They may either be suffixed to nouns, or appear in isolation. Examples: « Axxam-a / Axxam-agi» – "This house.", (House-this), «Wagi yelha» – "This is nice." (This is-nice).

Prepositions

Prepositions precede their objects: « i medden » "to the people", « si taddart » "from the village". All words preceded by a preposition (except « s » and « ar », "towards", "until" ) take the annexed state.

Some prepositions have two forms: one is used with pronominal suffixes and the other form is used in all other contexts, e.g. ger 'between' → gar.

Some prepositions have a corresponding relative pronoun (or interrogative), for example:

::« i » "for/to" → « iwumi » "to whom"

::« Tefka aksum i wemcic » "she gave meat to the cat" → « Amcic iwumi tefka aksum » "The cat to whom she gave meat."

Syntax

Negation

Predicative particle 'd'

The predicative particle 'd' is an indispensable tool in speaking Kabyle (or any other Amazigh language). "d" is equivalent to both "it is + adjective" and "to be + adjective", but cannot be replaced by the verb "ili" (to be).  It is always followed by a noun in free state.

Examples:

D taqcict 'it's a girl'
D nekk 'it's me'
Nekk d argaz 'I'm a man'
Idir d anelmad 'Idir is a student'
Idir yella d anelmad 'Idir was a student'

The predicative particle "d" should not be confused with the particle of coordination "d"; indeed, the latter is followed by a noun at its annexed state while the first is always followed by a noun at its free state.

Vocabulary

Kabyle has absorbed Arabic, French, Latin, Greek and Punic vocabulary. Arabic loanwords representing 22.7% to 46% of the total Kabyle vocabulary, with many estimates putting it at about 35%.

Sample text

In Moulieras (Auguste), Les fourberies de Si Djeh'a.

Note: the predicative particle d was translated as "it.is", the particle of direction d was translated as "here".

Notes

References

Bibliography

Achab, R. : 1996 – La néologie lexicale berbère (1945–1995), Paris/Louvain, Editions Peeters, 1996.
Achab, R. : 1998 – Langue berbère. Introduction à la notation usuelle en caractères latins, Paris, Editions Hoggar.
F. Amazit-Hamidchi & M. Lounaci : Kabyle de poche, Assimil, France,
Hamid Hamouma. n.d. Manuel de grammaire berbère (kabyle). Paris: Edition Association de Culture Berbère.
Kamal Nait-Zerrad. Grammaire moderne du kabyle, tajerrumt tatrart n teqbaylit. Editions KARTHALA, 2001.
Mammeri, M. : 1976 – Tajerrumt n tmaziɣt (tantala taqbaylit), Maspero, Paris.
Tas, I. : 2025 – Le kabyle en quelques règles, Paris.
Naït-Zerrad, K. : 1994 – Manuel de conjugaison kabyle (le verbe en berbère), L’Harmattan, Paris.
Naït-Zerrad, K. : 1995 – Grammaire du berbère contemporain, I – Morphologie, ENAG, Alger.
Tizi-Wwuccen. Méthode audio-visuelle de langue berbère (kabyle), Aix-en-Provence, Edisud, 1986.

External links

INALCO report on Kabyle
Negative Preterite, The negative preterite in Kabyle Berber.