Nafusi language
Encyclopedia
Nafusi is the Berber language of the Nafusa Mountains (Drar n infusen), a large area in northwestern Libya
. This variety of the Berber language is spoken by the Ibadite communities around Jadu
, Nalut
(Lalut), and Yafran
. According to the Ethnologue
, it has some 184,000 speakers in Libya
(controversially including Zuara Berber
.) The dialect of Yefren in the east differs somewhat from that of Nalut and Jadu in the west. A number of Old Nafusi phrases appear in Ibadite manuscripts as early as the 12th century, representing some of the earliest manuscript records of Berber.
The Ethnologue
includes nearby Zuara Berber
, Matmata Berber
, and Djerbi
under the rubric "Nafusi", which corresponds neither to local nor to academic usage of the term.
The dialect of Jadu is described in some detail in Beguinot (1931). Motylinski (1898) describes the dialect of Jadu and Nalut as spoken by a student from Yefren.
Nafusi shares several innovations with the Zenati languages
, but, unlike them, maintains prefix vowels before open syllables; for example, ufəs "hand" < *afus, rather than Zenati fus; it appears especially closely related to Sokni and Siwi
to its east.
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
. This variety of the Berber language is spoken by the Ibadite communities around Jadu
Jadu, Libya
Jadu [p] , in other languages also: Giado and Gado, is a mountain town in western Libya, in the Jabal al Gharbi District and the Nafusa Mountains. Jadu was the site of an Italian concentration camp during the Second World War...
, Nalut
Nalut
Nalut is the capital of the Nalut District in Libya and is home to a Berber granary and community.Nalut lies approximately half way between Tripoli and Ghadames, at the western end of the Nafusa Mountains coastal range, in the Tripolitania region.-Architecture:Nalut is home to the Ksar Nalut,...
(Lalut), and Yafran
Yafran
Yafran or Yifren was formerly one of the districts of Libya. It was located in the northwest part of the country and its capital was Yafran...
. According to the Ethnologue
Ethnologue
Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christian linguistic service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, to provide the speakers with Bibles in their native language and support their efforts in language development.The Ethnologue...
, it has some 184,000 speakers in Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
(controversially including Zuara Berber
Zuara Berber
Zuwara Berber is the Zenati Berber dialect of Zuwara on the coast of western Tripolitania - in the district of northwestern Libya....
.) The dialect of Yefren in the east differs somewhat from that of Nalut and Jadu in the west. A number of Old Nafusi phrases appear in Ibadite manuscripts as early as the 12th century, representing some of the earliest manuscript records of Berber.
The Ethnologue
Ethnologue
Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christian linguistic service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, to provide the speakers with Bibles in their native language and support their efforts in language development.The Ethnologue...
includes nearby Zuara Berber
Zuara Berber
Zuwara Berber is the Zenati Berber dialect of Zuwara on the coast of western Tripolitania - in the district of northwestern Libya....
, Matmata Berber
Matmata Berber
Matmata Berber is the Zenati Berber dialect spoken around the town of Matmâta in southern Tunisia, in the villages of Zraoua, Taoujjout and Tamezret. According to Ben Mamou's lexicon, its speakers call it Tmaziγṯ, or dwi-nna "our language", while it is called Chelha or Jbali in local Arabic...
, and Djerbi
Djerbi language
Jerba or Djerbi is the Berber language of Djerba in Tunisia....
under the rubric "Nafusi", which corresponds neither to local nor to academic usage of the term.
The dialect of Jadu is described in some detail in Beguinot (1931). Motylinski (1898) describes the dialect of Jadu and Nalut as spoken by a student from Yefren.
Nafusi shares several innovations with the Zenati languages
Zenati languages
The Zenati languages, named after the medieval Zenata tribe, are a subgroup of the Northern Berber language family, spoken in North Africa, proposed in Destaing They are distributed across the central Maghreb, from northeastern Morocco to just west of Algiers, and the northern Sahara, from...
, but, unlike them, maintains prefix vowels before open syllables; for example, ufəs "hand" < *afus, rather than Zenati fus; it appears especially closely related to Sokni and Siwi
Siwi language
Siwi is a Berber language of Egypt, spoken by about 15,000 to 30,000 people in the oases of Siwa and Gara, near the Libyan border. The language has been heavily influenced by Egyptian Arabic, to a greater degree than most Berber languages...
to its east.