Western Algerian Zenatic dialects

Map of Berber-speaking areas in north-western Algeria

The Western Algerian Zenatic dialects are a diffuse set of Zenatic Berber dialects spoken in north-western Algeria, west of Algiers.[1]

The Western Algerian group of Berber dialects include Chenoua (including Gouraya), Snous,[2] and the less-extent Berber dialects spoken in the areas of Blida, Medea, Miliana and Ouarsenis (i.e. Blench's Chelif Berber), as well as the nearly (or already?) extinct dialects of Achacha, Aït H'lima and Bathia,[1][3] for most of which we have no linguistic data.

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 M. Kossmann, The Arabic Influence on Northern Berber, p.22 (Brill, 2013)
  2. ↑ Note: Kossmann includes Beni Snous in the Western Algerian group ; However it is often considered a dialect of Tarifit (S. Chaker (1991), A. Renisio (1932))
  3. ↑ R. Basset, Etude sur la Zenatia de l'Ouarsenis et du Maghreb Central, pref. pp.I-III (Publ. de l'Ecole des Lettres d'Alger, 1895)
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/26/2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.