Sanhaja de Srair language

Template:Short description Template:Distinguish {{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Main other Senhaja de Srair ("Senhaja of Srair") is a Northern Berber language. It is spoken by the Sanhaja Berbers inhabiting the central part of the Moroccan Rif. It is spoken in the Ketama area west of the Tarifit speaking area in eastern Rif.

Despite its speech area, the Sanhaja language belongs to the Atlas branch of Berber.<ref name="Souag1" /> It has also been influenced by the neighbouring Riffian language.<ref name="Senhaja Berber">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Name of the language

Besides Senhaja de Srair, there are also several names such as Senhajiyya, Chelha, Chelha n Jbala, Tajeblit, Tamazight n Jbala, Tasenhajit.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Dialects

Dialects of Senhaja Berber are Beni Ahmed, Beni Bechir, Beni Buensar, Beni Jennus, Beni Mesdui, Beni Seddat, Ketama, Sarcat, and Tagsut<ref name="Senhaja Berber" />

Writing System

Senhaja de Srair speakers are not used to write in their language. Unlike some other Berber languages, Tifinagh script is never used in Senhaja de Srair. 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: <ref name=":0" />

2 = ’ = ء	6 = ṭ = ط
3 = ɛ = ع	7 = ḥ = ح
4~8 = ġ = غ	9 = q = ق
5 = ḫ = خ

Arabic influences

Based on the Leipzig–Jakarta list, 17% of the vocabulary in Senhaja de Srair is borrowed.<ref name=":0" />

Consonants

Following shows the oppositions in the consonantal system:<ref name=":0" />

Voice	Voiced vs. voiceless consonants
Length	Short vs. long consonants
Pharyngealization	Non-pharyngealized vs. pharyngealized consonants
Spirantization	Stops vs. fricatives (spirantized consonants)
Assibilation	t vs. ț
Labialization

Vowels

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].

Following shows the Senhaja vowel system: <ref name=":0" />

	Front	Mid	Back
Close	Template:IPA link		Template:IPA link
Mid		Template:IPA link
Open		Template:IPA link

Bibliography

• Peter Behnstedt, "La frontera entre el bereber y el árabe en el Rif", Estudios de dialectología norteafricana y andalusí vol. 6, 2002.
• Esteban Ibañez, Diccionario español-senhayi (dialecto beraber de Senhaya de Srair), 1959.
• Mena Lafkiou, Atlas linguistique des variétés berbères du Rif (Berber Studies vol.15), 2007.
• A. Renisio, Études sur les dialectes berbères des Beni Iznassen, du Rif et des Senhaja de Sraïr. Grammaire, textes et lexique. PIHEM, vol. 12. Paris 1932.

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