| Senhaja de Srair | |
|---|---|
| Senhaja Berber, Tasenhajit | |
| Ccelḥa Taṣenhajit | |
| Native to | Morocco |
| Region | Rif (Ketama - Targuist) |
| Ethnicity | Senhaja de Srair |
Native speakers | 86,000 (2014 census) |
| Berber Latin | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | sjs |
| Glottolog | senh1238 |
| ELP | Senhaja de Srair |
Senhaja Berber is classified as Vulnerable by the Glottolog, and as Endangered by the UNESCO, Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
| Coordinates: 34°49′51″N 4°28′42″W / 34.830848°N 4.478343°W | |
Senhaja de Srair or Senhaja Berber (endonym: Ccelḥa or Taṣenhajit; Arabic: الصنهاجية, romanized: aṣ-ṣanhājiyah), is a Northern Berber language spoken by the Senhaja de Srair inhabiting the central part of the Moroccan Rif. It is primarily spoken in the districts of Targuist, Ketama, and Bni Boufrah, west of the Tarifit-speaking area in eastern Rif, by approximately 85,000 speakers.
Despite its geographical distribution, the language belongs to the Atlas branch of Berber. It has also been influenced by the neighbouring Riffian language.
Besides Senhaja de Srair, the language is also known in English as Tasenhajit, Senhaja Berber, Senhajiya, Shilha/Shelha, Shelha n Senhaja and Tamazight n Senhaja. The most widespread endonym to refer to their language is Ccelḥa 'Shelha'. If necessary, one can specify, depending on the (sub-)tribe: Shelha of Ketama, Seddat, Taghzut, etc., or simply "our Shelha". Some Senhaja de Srair Berber activists prefer the name Taṣenhajit, as the term Shelha can refer to other Berber languages as well.
| Person | Aṣenhaj (m. singular) Taṣenhajt (f. singular) |
|---|---|
| People | Iṣenhajen (m. plural) Tiṣenhajin (f. plural) |
| Language | Taṣenhajit |
Senhaja de Srair speakers recognizes themselves using the ethnonym Iṣenhajen (masculine plural). Other forms of the ethnonym include Aṣenhaj (masculine singular), Taṣenhajt (feminine singular), and Tiṣenhajin (feminine plural).
Senhaja de Srair, according to the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger, is an endangered language.
Senhaja de Srair speakers have limited participation in the Berber Cultural Movement. Their situation has been described as a form of marginalization within both the wider Berber-speaking community and Moroccan society as a whole. Their language lacks official recognition, since state language policies have primarily focused only on the three large Moroccan Berber varieties (Tashelhit, Middle Atlas Berber, and Tarifit). It is also excluded from the Moroccan Census of the population (RGPH), in addition to public media, including regional radio stations such as those in Al-Hoceima and Tetouan, the national Amazigh radio, Tamazight TV and the educational system.
This limited engagement has been attributed to several factors, including the geographic isolation in the Rif mountains and the broader socio-economic conditions (the region being associated with cannabis cultivation, reported social prejudice against them, and the lower visibility of the language compared with other Berber languages).
Recently, the association of "Amazighs of Senhaja of the Rif" has emerged in Targuist with the aim of promoting and preserving the Senhajan language and cultural heritage. It has played a role in the development of a distinct cultural and identity discourse among Senhaja de Srair speakers. Its members include Charif Adardak, Iliasse Aarab, Mounir Aghzennay, and Mohamed Ben Abdellah Aghzout. In addition to various cultural initiatives, the association created Tidighin, a magazine devoted to the cultural and linguistic heritage of Senhaja de Srair.
Senhaja de Srair is native to the Rif Mountains (northwestern Morocco), and is spoken by more than 70,000 people in Al Hoceima province, notably in the districts of Targuist, Ketama and Bni Boufrah. To the east, it borders the areas where Tarifit is spoken, while to the west it is separated from Ghomara by an Arabic-speaking area. Senhaja Berber can be considered as a "bridge" between Ghomara Berber and Tarifit, as the three languages share many characteristics, despite the geographical distance.
Near the current Berber-speaking core of Senhaja de Srair, many communities continue to speak Tasenhajit. In Bni Gmil, in the Bni Chboun fraction, the villages of Bougherda, Belḥekk and Lmaẓiyyin; in the Maksouline fraction, Hajar dib, Jaber, Tazarin, and Tizi; and in the Toulout Ouesti fraction, Guellet, Isoummar, and Tilouli. In Bni Boufrah, Tasenhajit is spoken in the village of Akhzouz, and in the tribe of Mettioua, in the village of Tarejdalt. It is also attested in Zouaoua, a small village of the Fennassa tribe.
The prevalence of Senhaja de Srair spoken also varies among the tribes:
| Tribe's name | Note | Estimated number of Tasenhajit speakers |
| Ketama | Mixed (Berber and Arabic speaking) | 17.000 |
| Ait Seddat | Majority Berber-speaking | 17.000 |
| Taghzut | Majority Berber-speaking | 5.000 |
| Ait Ahmed | Majority Berber-speaking | 9.000 |
| Ait Bunsar | Majority Berber-speaking | 7.000 |
| Ait Khennus | Majority Berber-speaking | 9.000 |
| Ait Mezduy | Majority Berber-speaking | 10.000 |
| Zerqet | Majority Berber-speaking | 6.000 |
| Ait Bshir | Majority Berber-speaking | 6.000 |
| Ait Bushibet | Majority Arabic-speaking | (-) |
| Total | 85.000 speakers. |
Senhaja de Srair exhibits significant internal dialectal variation. Its dialcets include Ait Ahmed, Ait Bshir, Ait Bunsar, Ait Khennus, Ait Mezduy, Ait Seddat, Ketama, Taghzut, and Zerqet.
The Ketama dialect is considered distinct from that of other tribes, and is now spoken only in seven villages: Ait Ahmed, Ait Aissi, Makhzen, Asammar, Talghunt, Sahel, and Zgara. In Ketama, Senhaja Berber is also spoken in the village of Ighumad, on the northern slope of Adrar Dahduh, but this sector of Ketama has its main contacts with the Berber speakers of Ait Seddat, which favoured the preservation of the language there.
| Pure Senhaja de Srair | Transitional Senhaja de Srair | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern | Western | Southern | Northern | Southern |
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Each dialect has its own shifts such as:
| Ketama | Taghzut | Seddat | Bunsar | Hmed | Zerqet | Mezduy | Dialectical shift | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| brother | gma | gma | gma | acqiq | acqiq | acqiq | acqiq | l > y / ǧ / r |
| sister | wiytma | weǧma | wiytma | tacqiqt | tacqiqt | tacqiqt | tacqiqt | |
| water source | tayya | taǧa | tahaya | tahaya | tahayya | tahala | tahara | |
| groom | aseyyi | aseǧǧi | aseyyi | aseyyi | asyi | asli | asri | |
| bride | aseyyit | tiǧǧit | taseyyit | taseyyit | tasyit | taslit | tasrit | |
| to slaughter | zyu | ǧǧu | zzyu | zzyu | zyu | zlu | zlu | |
| to be | yyi | iǧi | yyi | ili | iyyi | ili | iri | |
| become | aɣuy | aɣuǧ | aɣuy | aɣuy | ɣuy~ɣul | aɣul | aɣul | |
| donkey | aɣyuy | aɣyul | aɣyuy | aɣyuy | aɣyuy~aɣyul | aɣyul | aɣyur | |
| heart | uy | uǧ | uy | uy | uy | ul | ur | |
| friend | amdakkuy | amtakeǧ | amdakkʷi | amdakkʷi | amdakkʷi | amddakkʷel | amddakkʷer | |
| grapes | aḍi | aḍiǧ | aḍi | aḍi | aḍi | aḍil | aḍir | |
| speak | sawi | siweǧ | sawi | sawi | siwi | siwel | siwer | |
| forest | amayu | amaǧu | amayu | amayu | amayu | amalu | amařu | |
| almonds | lluz | lluz | ǧǧuz | ǧǧuz | lluz | ǧǧuz | ǧǧuz | ll > ǧǧ |
| yesterday | iḍelli | iḍelli | iḍeǧǧi | iḍeǧǧi | iḍelli | iḍeǧǧi | iḍeǧǧi | |
| white | amelluy | amellul | ameǧǧuy | ameǧǧuy | amelluy | ameǧǧul | ameǧǧur | |
| beans | llubiya | llubiya | ǧǧubiya | ǧǧubiya | llubiya | ǧǧubiya | ǧǧubiya | |
| head | azellif | azellif | azeǧǧif | adeǧǧif | azellif | aǧǧif | azeǧǧif | |
| yard | afrag | afrag | afrag | afrag | afray | afrag | afrag | g > y / w |
| pickaxe | agelzim | agelizm | agelzim | ayelzim | ayelzim | ayelzim | ayelzim | |
| man | argaz | argaz | argaz | aryaz | aryaz | aryaz | aryaz | |
| young bull | agenduz | agenduz | agenduz | ayenduz | ayenduz | ayenduz | ayenduz | |
| mushroom | agursay | - | agursay | agersuy | awersal | agersul | agersul | |
| mosque | mezgida | mezgida | timezgida | timezgida | timezgida | timezgida | timezgida | t > h / Ø |
| fig | azart | (h)azart | tazart | tazart | tazart | tazart | tazart |
There are three peripheral vowels (a, i, u) and a central vowel, schwa [ə], written as e. The vowel a is usually realized as [æ], i as [ɪ], u as [u], e as [ə].
| Front | Mid | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u | |
| Mid | ə | ||
| Open | a |
When a peripheral vowel follows a pharyngealized consonant, it is lowered and retracted. The schwa is pronounced as [u] before w and as [i] before y. In word-final position, the sequences -ew frequently develop into -u, and -ey into -i.
| Labial | Dental | Alveolar | Post- alveolar |
Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Pharyngeal | Glottal | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| plain | phar. | plain | phar. | plain | phar. | plain | phar. | plain | lab. | ||||||
| Nasal | m | n | |||||||||||||
| Plosive | voiceless | (p) | t | tˤ | t͡ʃ | k | kʷ | q | (ʔ) | ||||||
| voiced | b | d | (dˤ) | d͡ʒ | g | gʷ | |||||||||
| Fricative | voiceless | f | θ | s | sˤ | ʃ | ç | χ | ħ | ||||||
| voiced | β | ð | ðˤ | z | zˤ | ʒ | (ʒˤ) | (ʝ) | ʁ | ʕ | ɦ | ||||
| Approximant | l | (lˤ) | j | w | |||||||||||
| Flap | ɾ | ɾˤ | |||||||||||||
Generally speaking, consonant assimilation is regressive, which means that a consonant is impacted by the sound that comes after it. The preverbal ventive clitic d is an exception to this pattern, deviating from the typical regressive behaviour.
Alveolar stops and post-alveolar fricatives are the consonants most frequently impacted by assimilation. Voicing assimilation is especially common. For instance, a voiced + voiceless sequence tends to become voiceless (e.g., d + t → t^t, ɣ + t → x^t), whereas a sequence of voiceless + voiced consonants usually produces a voiced result (e.g., t + d → d^d). [clarification needed]
These procedures vary among dialects, though. Compared to Ketama and Zerqet, assimilation phenomena are generally less common in Hmed, particularly within the verbal complex.
Sibilant harmony is a type of Long-distance assimilation, in which sibilants often assimilate to each other.
The consonant n is special and can be assimilated in a variety of ways. It may assimilate to the following l, ll, r, ṛ, but does not assimilate to other consonants including m or b . This assimilation is optional and varies among speakers, as the assimilation to l/ll appears to be more widespread than to r/ṛ.
In Berber languages, two consecutive vowels are typically avoided. One of the following approaches is usually used to resolve such a sequence when it occurs:
Senhaja de Srair speakers are not used to writing in their language. Unlike some other Berber languages, Tifinagh script is never used in Tasenhajit. If the language is written, especially in the case on Computer-mediated communication, Latin script is the most considered one, numbers are sometimes (but not consistently) used to represent some sounds. The Berber Latin script:
| The 35-Letter Alphabet of Northern-Berber | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A | B | C | Č | D | Ḍ | E | Ɛ | F | G | Ǧ | Ɣ | H | Ḥ | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | Q | R | Ř | Ṛ | S | Ṣ | T | Ṭ | U | W | X | Y | Z | Ẓ |
| Lower case | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| a | b | c | č | d | ḍ | e | ɛ | f | g | ǧ | ɣ | h | ḥ | i | j | k | l | m | n | o | q | r | ř | ṛ | s | ṣ | t | ṭ | u | w | x | y | z | ẓ |
Senhaja Berber distinguishes two genders: masculine and feminine. As in most Berber languages, masculine nouns and adjectives generally start with a vowel (a-, i-, u-), while feminine nouns generally start with t- and end with a -t. e.g.
Senhaja Berber countable nouns distinguish a singular from a plural. Masculine plurals generally take the prefix i-, feminines ti-, and take the suffix -en in the masculine and -in in the feminine, e.g.
As in all Berber languages, the state distinction (or annexed state) is typically indicated only in the singular, and only for nouns whose stems begin with a. Most plural nouns and nouns whose stems begin with i or u~w do not show a distinction between states. In feminine singular nouns, the state distinction can be marked whether the noun begins with ta or ti, as the initial vowels may be dropped.
Verbs are conjugated for three tenses: The Aorist (a(d) + verb / (ma)c-a(d) + verb), it expresses a non-realized event (irrealis, future, uncertainty, possibility, probability, wish, conditional, prospective, subjunctive, etc.). The Perfective can express a dynamic event in the past, or a stative (including resultative) event. The Imperfective is used for the progressive, simultaneous, habitual, general, iterative, durative, etc.
| Verb | Aorist | Perfective | Imperfective |
|---|---|---|---|
| to lift | asi | usi | ttasi |
| to enter | kcem | kcem | keččem |
| to find | af | ufa | taff |
| Person | sg. | pl. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ... -ɣ | n-... | |
| 2 | m | t-... -d | t-... -m |
| f | t-... -mt | ||
| 3 | m | i/y-... | ... -n |
| f | t-... | ... -nt | |
The verb in Berber always agrees with the subject in gender and number, and is conjugated for person by adding affixes. e.g.
Verbs are always marked for subject and may also inflect for person of direct and indirect object. e.g
Verb derivation is performed by adding affixes. There are two types of derivation forms: causative and passive.
Senhaja Berber usually expresses negation in two parts.The first (preverbal) negator can be u, ur, or ud. The second (postverbal) negator can be c, ci, or cay: the three are usually in free variation, the postverbal negator can be absent in certain contexts.
Berber verbal nouns are usually derived by adding often the nominal prefix a- or t- to the verb stem, just that the feminine verbal nouns are more concrete in their meaning.
Independent personal pronouns in Senhaja express person (first, second, and third), number (singular and plural), and gender (masculine and feminine).
| Ketama | Taghzut | Seddat | Bunsar | Hmed | Zerqet | Mezduy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1S | nek(k),
nekki(n), nekkini |
(nek(k)),
nekki(n), nekkini |
nek(k),
nekkini, nekkinit |
nek(k),
nekki(ni) |
nek(k),
nekkini |
nek(k),
nekkini |
nek(k) |
| 2S | keǧ(ǧ),
keǧǧi(n), keǧǧini |
(keǧ(ǧ)),
keǧǧi(n), keǧǧini |
keǧ,
keǧǧini |
keǧ(ǧ),
keǧǧini |
keǧ(ǧ),
keǧǧini |
keǧ(ǧini),
keǧ(ǧi(ni)) |
ker |
| 2F | kem(m),
kemmi(n), kemmini |
(kem(m)),
kemmi(n), kemmini |
kem(m),
kemmini |
kem(m),
kemmini |
kem(m),
kemmini |
kem(m),
kemmini |
kem(m) |
| 3MS | n(e)tta | ntta(n(i)) | netta | n(e)tta(ni) | ntta(ni) | n(e)tta(ni) | netta |
| 3FS | n(e)ttaha | nttaha(n) | nettata | ntata(ni) | nttata(ni) | ntata(n) | nettata |
| 1P | nukni,
nukki |
nekni | nukni,
nukna(ɣ) |
nekni,
nekna, nukni |
nukni | nukni,
nukna, wukna |
nukni,
nukna |
| 2M | kunni | kenniw | kuni(mi),
kenniwi |
keniwi | kenniw(i) | kennami,
kenniwi, kennawi |
kenniw |
| 2PF | kennamti
kennumti, kennumi |
(kennindi) | |||||
| 3MP | nehnim | (ne)hnim(i) | ntumi | nnimi,
ntumi, numi |
nehnam(i),
nehnum(i) |
ntumi,
ntami |
netnin |
| 3FP | ntamti,
ntumti |
(netnindi) |
Possessive pronouns are usually bound to the noun.
| Person | Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | m | -inu | -nneɣ, -nnaɣ, -nna |
| f | |||
| 2nd | m | -k / -nnek | -nwen |
| f | -m / -nnem | -nwent | |
| 3rd | m | -s / -nnes | -nsen |
| f | -nsent | ||
Examples:
There are three demonstratives: proximal, medial, and distal. Most dialects distinguish between masculine singular, feminine singular, and common plural forms. One may find many ways of expressing demonstratives, especially in pronominal form: -yya, -dda (proximal), and -nna, -yyen, -ddin (distal). eg.
Nearly all Senhaja de Srair speakers are bilingual, speaking both Berber and Moroccan Arabic. However, levels of bilingualism vary among speakers, with some individuals remaining more comfortable expressing themselves in Berber than in Arabic. The phenomenon of bilingualism is stronger in Western Senhaja than in Eastern Senhaja.
Senhaja Berber has undergone significant influence from Arabic. According to the Leipzig–Jakarta list, approximately 17% of the vocabulary of Senhaja de Srair consists of Arabic loanwords..
From the Ait Bshir sub-dialect in "Études sur les dialectes berbères des Beni Iznassen, du Rif et des Senhaja de Sraïr" by A. Renisio.
Aḥnuc n un taɣaṭ d un tkerret ag un uccen
Un taɣaṭ d un tkerret uɣulent timddukal. Qiment zedɣent marra. Tuɣul tkerret turu, tuǧǧad izimmar-nnes. Teɛda taɣaṭ as-tɣarreṣ ala bac ad tečč. Ami tuwweḍ tahala, tuli x tsukklet, tebda tɣarreṣ ala, teṭiyaḥid za akal.
Un uccen iffud, yusa-d ad isu. Ami-d yusa ad isu, iẓra tili n taɣaṭ i thala. Ineqqez g waman di thala ad t-yečč. Icuc icuc, u t-yufi. Iffeɣ-id zeg aman. Ɛawd yeɛda za tafukt, isummer ag uzeǧǧif-nnes, ictaf. Yuɣul za thala ɛawd isuqel, ɛawd iẓra-t, inna-s: Luxa nettata waha. Ineqqez, icuc, u t-yufi, ɛawd iffeɣ-id. Ami-d yaɣul ad ineqqez nuba nnaḍen, u taɣaṭ teɛayeḍ-as-d, tenna-yas-d u keǧǧini aca-nek? Ɣir tneqqazed g waman, ay tcuccud?
Ami as-tessiwel taɣaṭ, inna-yas netta: Kemmini dina? Ay tegged dina? Tenna-yas ttawiɣ cway wala i un tkerret tamdakult-inu turu, nzeddaɣ marra. Inna-s netta faywaqt ɣur-wen tesmya? Tenna-s nettata: nhar lḥad ɣur-neɣ ssabeɛ, addu za ɣur-neɣ ad teččed, ha nekk tɛaraḍeɣ-ak. Inna-s i uzeǧǧif-nnes. Ad ččeɣ taɣaṭ d imẓi-nnes, ad rnuɣ tikerret d izimmar-nnes. Yeɛda fḥal-s, yuǧǧa taɣaṭ tɣarreṣ, tuwi ala-nnes, tekka-s-t i tkerret ad tečč.
Teɛda taɣaṭ za ɣur uccay, tenna-yas: un uccen maca aɣen-yečč, s nukna s tarwa-nneɣ, ma-k yehda Rebbi aɣen-tfekked ziy-s. Inna-yas netta, ay-tesǧǧawanem tazikt, awent-henniɣ ziy-s. Yusa-d ikid-s za axxyam-nsent, ffren-t. Qelben xx-es taṣiḍut n tezgawt.
Uccen yusa-d iqqar tiɣmirin-nnes, iqqar ad nečč tikerret d urba-nnes nernu taɣaṭ d imẓi-nnes. Tenna-yas taɣaṭ, suqel, suqel ay da, tili n tṣiḍut-yya. Netta isɛella taṣiḍut, uccay ineqqez-id xx-es inɣa-t. Kkant-as tazikt aṛami iǧǧun, yeɛda fḥal-s.
English translation:
Story of a goat, a sheep and a jackal
A goat and a sheep became friends and lived together. When the sheep gave birth to a lamb, the goat went to fetch branches to feed her. Arriving at a stream, she climbed a tree and began cutting branches, letting them fall to the ground.
A thirsty jackal came to drink. As he was about to do so, he saw the goat’s reflection in the water. Thinking it was another goat, he jumped into the water to try to catch her. After searching in vain, he came out and lay in the sun to dry himself. He returned to the stream, looked again, and saw the goat once more. “This time it is truly her,” he said. He jumped in again, searched, and finding nothing, came out once more. As he was about to jump again, the goat called out to him: “What are you doing jumping into the water like that? What are you looking for?”
The jackal replied: “Ah, so you are there! And what are you doing up there?”. “I am collecting branches,” said the goat, “for a sheep friend of mine who has just given birth. We live together. ”The jackal asked: “When will the naming ceremony take place?”. “It will be on Sunday, on the seventh day after birth,” replied the goat. “Come and eat with us, I invite you.” The jackal thought to himself: “I will eat this goat and her kid, then the sheep and her lamb.” He left, while the goat continued gathering branches for the sheep.
The goat then went to the greyhound dog and said: “A jackal will eat us and our offspring. If God guides you, you can save us.” “Very well,” said the dog, “but you must feed me with milk.” They brought him to their home and hid him under an old basket.
The jackal arrived singing: “We will eat the sheep and her lamb, then the goat and her kid.” The goat said: “Look under this old basket.” The jackal lifted it, and the dog jumped on him and killed him. They fed the dog milk until he was satisfied, and he left peacefully
— A. Renisio
Note: The original text has been adapted into the modern Berber Latin script, with minor corrections to the original text.
the thasinhajith of the Sinhaja