Senhaja de Srair or Senhaja Berber (endonym: or ; ), is a Northern Berber language spoken by the Senhaja de Srair inhabiting the central part of the Moroccan Rif. It is primarily spoken in the districts of Targuist, Ketama, and Bni Boufrah, west of the Tarifit-speaking area in eastern Rif, by approximately 85,000 speakers.
Name
Besides Senhaja de Srair, the language is also known in English as Tasenhajit, Senhaja Berber, Senhajiya, Shilha/Shelha, Shelha n Senhaja and Tamazight n Senhaja. The most widespread endonym to refer to their language is Ccelḥa 'Shelha'. If necessary, one can specify, depending on the (sub-)tribe: Shelha of Ketama, Seddat, Taghzut, etc., or simply "our Shelha". Some Senhaja de Srair Berber activists prefer the name Taṣenhajit, as the term Shelha can refer to other Berber languages as well.
Senhaja de Srair speakers recognizes themselves using the ethnonym (masculine plural). Other forms of the ethnonym include (masculine singular), (feminine singular), and (feminine plural).
Recently, the association of "Amazighs of Senhaja of the Rif" has emerged in Targuist with the aim of promoting and preserving the Senhajan language and cultural heritage. It has played a role in the development of a distinct cultural and identity discourse among Senhaja de Srair speakers. Its members include Charif Adardak, Iliasse Aarab, Mounir Aghzennay, and Mohamed Ben Abdellah Aghzout. In addition to various cultural initiatives, the association created Tidighin, a magazine devoted to the cultural and linguistic heritage of Senhaja de Srair. entirely Berber-speaking<sub>;</sub>
- Ait Seddat: entirely Berber-speaking;
- Ketama: bilingual both Berber and Arabic speaking;
- Taghzut: entirely Berber-speaking;
- Zerqet: entirely Berber-speaking;
{| class="wikitable"
|+Estimated number of Senhaja de Srair speakers for each Senhajan tribe: Its dialcets include Ait Ahmed, Ait Bshir, Ait Bunsar, Ait Khennus, Ait Mezduy, Ait Seddat, Ketama, Taghzut, and Zerqet. and is now spoken only in seven villages: Ait Ahmed, Ait Aissi, Makhzen, Asammar, Talghunt, Sahel, and Zgara. In Ketama, Senhaja Berber is also spoken in the village of Ighumad, on the northern slope of Adrar Dahduh, but this sector of Ketama has its main contacts with the Berber speakers of Ait Seddat, which favoured the preservation of the language there.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Actual taxonomy of Senhaja de Srair according to the degree of intelligibility:
! colspan="3" |Pure Senhaja de Srair
! colspan="2" |Transitional Senhaja de Srair
|-
|Eastern
|Western
|Southern
|Northern
|Southern
|-
|
- Ait Mezduy
- Ait Bshir
- Zerqet
|
- Ait Seddat
- Ait Khennus
- Ait Bunsar
|
- Ait Ahmed
|
- Ketama
|
- Taghzut
|}
Each dialect has its own shifts such as:
- l > y / ǧ / r : A single *l usually undergoes changes in Senhaja, changing to y(y) in most varieties (Ketama/Seddat/Hmed/Bunsar), to ǧ(ǧ) in Taghzut, and to r(r) in Mezduy. A single *l is preserved in Zerqet.
- ll > ǧǧ : Long ll is preserved in Ketama, Hmed, as well as in Taghzut. Long ll > ǧǧ in Seddat, Bunsar, Zerqet, and Mezduy.
- g > y / w : Found in Hmed, Bunsar, Zerqet, and Mezduy.
- t > h / Ø : Found in Ketama and Taghzut.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Lexical differences
- ew > u : sew > su (most Snh.) "Drink!"; ssew > ssu (most Snh.) "Irrigate!".
- el > ey > i : adfel (Zerqet) > adfey > adfi (most Snh.) "snow"; azzel (Zerqet) > azzey > azzi (Hmed) "to run".
Consonants
{|class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
|+Consonants