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First language atlas of Berber language published
A village in the Rif mountain area. |
Rif Berber is one of the three Berber languages in Morocco. The language is characterised by broad differences in dialect. These differences have now for the first time - literally - been mapped by Mena Lafkioui.
The language atlas of Rif Berber - Atlas linguistique des variétés berbères du Rif – with 356 maps. will be presented on Tuesday 25 September in Leiden's Faculty of Arts. It is the first language atlas to be made of a Berber language.
Least studied
Lafkioui gathered the data for the atlas when she was working at Leiden University as a post-doc researcher, conducting research into language variation in the Rif area in North Morocco, for linguists, the least studied area in Morocco. She conducted fieldwork in 452 villages, among 36 different tribes. Lafkioui is also affiliated to the Universities of Gent, Belgium and the Università della Calabria in Arcavacata, Italy.
Complicated language situation
The atlas details both the sound differences and sound shifts as well as the variations in the word forms, syntax and lexicon.
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An example of the variation in the lexicon: the different words per region for ‘grandmother’ (Taken in reduced/abbreviated form from the Atlas linguistiqe des variétés berbères du Rif)
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‘This atlas of Rif Berber for the first time ever shows clearly how complicated the language situation is in the north of Morocco,' says Prof. Dr Harry Stroomer, who has made Leiden into a centre for Berber studies. 'In the south, there's not so much variation, but the further north you go, the greater the variation.'
Presentation of the language atlas Atlas linguistique des variétés berbères du Rif
Tuesday 25 September, 16.00 hrs
Lipsius, room 003
Programme |
| 16.00 |
Opening: Prof. Dr Harry Stroomer (Leiden University) |
| 16.10 |
Prof. Dr G.E. Booij (Dean of the Faculty of Arts of the Leiden University Arts Faculty) |
| 16.20 |
Dr Abderrahman El Aissati (Tilburg University) |
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16.30 |
Prof. Dr Mena Lafkioui (Gent University & Università della Calabria) |
| 17.30 |
Reception in the coffee room of building 1173 (de Vrieshof 4) Witte Singel 25. |
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During the reception, books by Leiden researchers in the field of Berber languages can be viewed in the coffee room. Köppe Verlag, the publisher of Berber Studies, the series in which the atlas appears, will be also be present, and will be offering the book at a reduced price. |
Series on Berber studies
The Rif language atlas is part 16 in the series on Berber Studies, an initiative of and edited by Stroomer, which will be published by Rüdiger Köppe Verlag in Keulen. The works in the series vary from collections of folk tales to complete grammars of different Berber stories.
Afro-Asian language family
Berber languages are spoken from North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Libya and Egypt (SIWA)) to Burkina Faso. They belong to the Afro-Asian language family. The most prominent Berber language is the South Moroccan Tasjelhiyt, which is spoken by some 10 million people. The differences between the diverse Berber languages are considerable. North Moroccan Rif Berber is just as different from the South Moroccan Tasjelhiyt as French is from Spanish.
Most widely spoken in the Netherlands
Rif Berber is the Moroccan language most widely spoken in the Netherlands. Of the Dutch people originating from Morocco, 80% speak Berber. Of this group, 70% speak Rif Berber.
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Atlas linguistique des variétés berbères du Rif
Mena Lafkioui
Series: Berber Studies, Volume 16, 2007
291 p., 356 maps, 47 tables, index of maps and tables
Hardcover, size: 350 x 250 mm
€ 154.00
ISBN 978-3-89645-395-2
info@koeppe.de
(18 September 2007/HP)
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