Tarifit, Tachelhit, Tamazight: which one to learn?

Names to recognize in lessons

These marks are used to identify resources. Mobility and family situations mean that these varieties are also spoken elsewhere, in Morocco and in the diaspora. Ask for the dialect used by your interlocutor rather than deducing it from their current address.

To speak with your family

Ask a loved one: “What do you call our speech? Where do the expressions you use come from? » Write down his response. Then try to find a course that corresponds to this context and have this person listen to a first extract.

You can create a small family notebook: a greeting, a thank you, a presentation and a simple request. Keep variations when two close people say things differently; ask in what context each uses their formula. Your notebook thus becomes a conversation tool, with identified examples.

To prepare for a stay in a region

Start with the moments when you want to use language: saying hello to your host, understanding a word on a sign or thanking you after a visit. Find out about the language of the place where you are going to stay, then prepare for these exchanges with a suitable resource.

Choose a few sentences and work on listening them. Before memorizing a translation found online, check that its variety is indicated. You will find a control method in the Tamazight–English translation guide .

Do the speakers always understand each other?

It is not wise to rely on automatic understanding in all situations. Vocabulary, sounds, subject and the habit of hearing other people speak influence the exchange. The Berber Research Center describes in particular the phonetic particularities of Rifian.

To learn, first stick to a consistent resource and a main variety. You can later compare the same word in several dialects, using verified examples. Then look for what changes when you listen, instead of assuming that words written in a similar way sound exactly the same.

A checklist before choosing

• The resource names its variety and explains its writing conventions.
• The examples correspond to situations that you want to practice.
• You can listen to the pronunciation or talk to a teacher.
• The explanations distinguish local uses from the taught forms.
• You have a way to verify the sentences you create.

For reading, you can add tifinagh to your course, even if your main course uses a Latin transcription. To understand the general names, read Amazigh, Berber and Tamazight . Once you have chosen the variety, begin our seven-day program with your course formulations.

Frequently asked questions