Tacawit

Shawiya

Afro-Asiatic

FamilyAfro-Asiatic Speakers~2M (vibrant) ScriptLatin / Tifinagh CountriesAlgeria Official inNo (Arabic and Tamazight are official in Algeria; Shawiya is a Tamazight variety with no separate status) Vitalitysafe ISO 639-3shy

Shawiya (autonymously Tacawit, also Chaouia) is a Northern Berber Zenati language of the Afro-Asiatic family, spoken by around 2 million people in the Aurès Mountains of eastern Algeria (Batna, Khenchela, Oum El Bouaghi, Souk Ahras, Tébessa wilayas). The Shawiya, who self-identify as Aurasi or Ichawiyen, are descendants of the historic Aurès Berber tribes who long resisted Roman, Vandal, Byzantine, and Arab conquests. The legendary Berber Queen Kahina (al-Kahina) who led the Aurès resistance against the Umayyad Arab conquest of North Africa in the late 7th century is a Shawiya cultural heroine. Linguistically, Shawiya is closely related to Kabyle (kab) but with distinct palatalization patterns and vocabulary, exemplified by the change of /k/ to /tʃ/ in many positions. The post-2002 Algerian recognition of Tamazight has strengthened Shawiya's institutional status.

Where it is spoken

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87 core words in Shawiya

Water

aman

aman

Fire

times

times

Sun

ittij

itːiʒ

Moon

ayur

ajuɾ

Star

itri

itri

Night

iḍ

iðˤ

Rain

anẓar

anzˤar

Snow

adfel

adfəl

Wind

aḍu

adˤu

Earth

akal

akal

Stone

aẓru

azˤru

Mountain

adrar

adrar

Sea

ilel

ilel

Mother

ima

ima

Father

baba

baba

Daughter

yelli

jəlli

I

nec

nətʃ

You

cek

ʃək

We

necni

nətʃni

Name

isem

isəm

Head

ixef

ixəf

Eye

tiṭ

titˤ

Ear

amezzuɣ

amɛzːuɣ

Nose

axenfuf

axənfuf

Mouth

imi

imi

Tooth

tiɣmest

tiɣməst

Tongue

iles

iləs

Hand

afus

afus

Foot

ḍar

dˤar

Heart

ul

ul

Bone

iɣes

iɣəs

Blood

idammen

iðamːən

Love

tayri

tajɾi

Tree

aseklu

asekːlu

Dog

aydi

ajdi

Cat

mucc

mutʃː

Fish

aslem

asləm

Bird

agḍiḍ

aɡðˤiðˤ

Butterfly

aferṭeṭṭu

afərtˤətˤːu

Egg

tamellalt

tamɛllalt

Bear

abubaz

abubaz

Horse

yis

jis

House

axxam

axːam

Milk

ayefk

ajəfk

Honey

tament

tamənt

Salt

tisent

tisənt

Book

adellis

adəlːis

Eat

etš

etʃ

Drink

su

su

Sleep

ṭṭes

tˤtˤəs

One

ijj

ijː

Two

sen

sən

Three

kraḍ

kradˤ

Four

kkuẓ

kːuzˤ

Five

semmus

səmmus

Hundred

tamiḍi

tamidˤi

Hello

azul

azul

Thank you

tanmirt

tanmiɾt

Good

ighwdha

iʁʷða

New

atrar

atrar

Red

azggwaɣ

azɡʷːaɣ

White

amellal

amɛllal

Black

aberkan

abərkan

Green

azizaw

azizaw

Sources

Words compared

Compared with languages in the same classification: Afro-Asiatic

Meaning ShawiyaStandard Moroccan TamazightCentral Atlas TamazightKabyleTashelhitTarifitTamasheq
Water aman /aman/ ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ aman /aman/ ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/
Fire times /times/ ⵜⵉⵎⵙⵙⵉ /timsːi/ ⵜⵉⵎⵙ /times/ times /timəs/ ⵜⵉⵎⵙⵉ /timsi/ ⵜⵎⵙⵙⵉ /θmesːi/ ⵜⵎⵙⵉ /təmsi/
Sun ittij /itːiʒ/ ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽⵜ /tafukt/ ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽⵜ /tafukt/ iṭij /itˤiʒ/ ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽⵜ /tafukt/ ⵜⴼⵓⵛⵜ /θfuʃt/ ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽ /tafuk/
Moon ayur /ajuɾ/ ⴰⵢⵢⵓⵔ /ajːur/ ⴰⵢⵓⵔ /ajur/ aggur /aɡːuɾ/ ⴰⵢⵢⵓⵔ /ajːuɾ/ ⵢⵓⵔ /jur/ ⴰⵢⵓⵔ /ajor/
Star itri /itri/ ⵉⵜⵔⵉ /itri/ ⵉⵜⵔⵉ /itri/ itri /itri/ ⵉⵜⵔⵉ /itri/ ⵉⵜⵔⵉ /iθri/ ⴰⵜⵔⵉ /atri/
Night iḍ /iðˤ/ ⵉⴹ /idˤ/ ⵉⴹ /idˤ/ iḍ /iðˤ/ ⵉⴹ /idˤ/ ⵉⴹ /iðˤ/ — /—/
Rain anẓar /anzˤar/ ⴰⵏⵥⴰⵔ /anzˤar/ ⴰⵏⵣⴰⵔ /anzar/ ageffur /aɡefːur/ ⴰⵏⵣⴰⵔ /anzar/ ⴰⵏⵥⴰⵔ /anzˤar/ ⴰⴽⵙⴰ /akəsa/
Snow adfel /adfəl/ ⴰⴷⴼⵍ /adfəl/ ⴰⴷⴼⵍ /adfəl/ adfel /adfəl/ ⴰⴷⴼⵍ /adfl/ ⴰⴷⴼⴻⵔ /aðfəɾ/ —
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