Nafusi language

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Nafusi
Ažbali; [1] Mazoɣ / Maziɣ [2]  (Nafusi)
Native to Libya
Region Nafusa Mountains
Native speakers
300,000 (2020) [3]
Dialects
  • Jerbi
  • Zuwara
  • Tamezret
Arabic script
Language codes
ISO 639-3 jbn
Glottolog nafu1238

Nafusi (also spelt Nefusi; in Nafusi: Ažbali / Maziɣ / Mazoɣ or Tanfust) is a Berber language spoken in the Nafusa Mountains (Adrar 'n Infusen), a large area in northwestern Libya. Its primary speakers are the Ibadi communities around Jadu, Nalut (Lalut) and Yafran. [3]

Contents

The dialect of Yefren in the east differs somewhat from that of Nalut and Jadu in the west. [4] A number of Old Nafusi phrases appear in Ibadite manuscripts as early as the 12th century. [5] [6]

The dialect of Jadu is described in some detail in Beguinot (1931). [7] Motylinski (1898) describes the dialect of Jadu and Nalut as spoken by a student from Yefren. [8]

Nafusi shares several innovations with the Zenati languages, but unlike these other Berber varieties it 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. [9]

Phonology

Vowels

Front Central Back
High i u
Mid ɛ ə ɔ
Low a

Consonants

Labial Alveolar Post-alv./
Palatal
Velar Uvular Pharyngeal Glottal
plainphar.plainphar.
Plosive voiceless t k q ʔ
voiced b d g
Affricate voiceless ts
voiced dz dzˤ
Fricative voiceless f s ʃ χ ħ h
voiced z ʒ ʒˤ ʁ ʕ
Nasal m n
Lateral l ɫ
Trill r
Approximant w j

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Works Cited