Siwi language
Encyclopedia
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 Libya
n border. The language has been heavily influenced by Egyptian Arabic
, to a greater degree than most Berber languages. It continues to be the first language of Siwi children.
places Siwi in an Eastern Berber
group with the Awjila–Sokna languages of central and eastern Libya. Kossmann (1999) links it with Sokna and the Nafusi
dialect cluster of western Libya and Tunisia, but not with Awjila.
Ongoing research on Siwi:
Berber languages
The Berber languages are a family of languages indigenous to North Africa, spoken from Siwa Oasis in Egypt to Morocco , and south to the countries of the Sahara Desert...
language of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, spoken by about 15,000 to 30,000 people in the oases
Oasis
In geography, an oasis or cienega is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source...
of Siwa
Siwa Oasis
The Siwa Oasis is an oasis in Egypt, located between the Qattara Depression and the Egyptian Sand Sea in the Libyan Desert, nearly 50 km east of the Libyan border, and 560 km from Cairo....
and Gara
Qara Oasis
Qara or Cara is Egypt's 8th inhabited oasis, with a population of around 300 Berbers, though of a darker complexion than the inhabitants of Siwa. This oasis is often disregarded when it comes to counting the number of Egyptian oases as it is very small compared to the others...
, near the 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....
n border. The language has been heavily influenced by Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic is the language spoken by contemporary Egyptians.It is more commonly known locally as the Egyptian colloquial language or Egyptian dialect ....
, to a greater degree than most Berber languages. It continues to be the first language of Siwi children.
Classification
EthnologueEthnologue
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...
places Siwi in an Eastern Berber
Eastern Berber languages
The Eastern Berber languages belong to the Afro-Asiatic family and are spoken in Libya and Egypt. They include Awjila, Sokna and Fezzan , Siwi, and Ghadamès. Kossmann divides them into two groups:...
group with the Awjila–Sokna languages of central and eastern Libya. Kossmann (1999) links it with Sokna and the Nafusi
Nafusi language
Nafusi is the Berber language of the Nafusa Mountains , a large area in northwestern Libya. This variety of the Berber language is spoken by the Ibadite communities around Jadu, Nalut , and Yafran...
dialect cluster of western Libya and Tunisia, but not with Awjila.
External links
Ongoing research on Siwi: