Language/Kabyle/Pronunciation/Alphabet-and-Pronunciation

ILUGAN N TIRA/ORTHOGRAPHY (Spelling)

AGEMMAY/ALPHABET

Dagi γur-wen isekkilen n tutlayt tamazight

Here you are letters of Berber language.

TIΓRẠ/VOWELS (Voyelles)

• /a/ (aγra) : baba/father/père, aman/water/eau

• /i/ (iγri)  : Tamaziγt/Berber language, iri/side/bord, ini/to tell/dire

• /u/ (uγru) : ul/heart/coeur, ussan/days/jours, azul/hello/merhaba/salut

• /e/ ( ilem, tiγri tilemt/empty vowel) : aselmad/teacher/enseignant, els/to wear, ečč/to eat/manger (we can write “e” as we can dont write it because if we delete it from the word, the sound of this word doesnt change : aselmad=aslmad, els= ls, ečč= čč. Generally we write it in order to make easier the pronunciation of words).

Tamawt/Remark :

• Ilem d asekkil ur γur-s ara azal. Neţţaru-t kan i wakken ad isifsus taγuri n wawalen.

• The letter “e” has not a value. We write it just in order to make easier the reading of words.

Ilem urğin yeţwaru di tagara n wawalen.

• The letter “e” is never written at the end of words.

Neţţaru ilem γer tazwara n wemyag anaḍ win γur-s kan snat tergalin am (čč), (ğğ), (ns) d wiyaḍ…

• We write “e” at the beginning of the infinitive verb that has only two consonants (čč/to eat), (ğğ/to leave), (ns/to spend the night)…

Ečč/to eat/manger, Eğğ/to leave/laisser, Ens/to spend the night/passer la nuit

TIRGALIN/CONSONANTS (Consonnes)

Llan kraḍ n waggayen n tergalin.

There are three groups of consonants.

• 1-tirgalin n timugna /normal consonants

• 2-imesla aggaγen akk d imesla izenzaγen/̣occlusive sounds and spirant sounds

• 3-imesla ufayen/emphatic sounds

1.Tirgalin n timugna/Normal consonants

Yal asekkil deg isekkilen-agi γur-s kan yiwen ususru.

Each letter of these letters has just one pronunciation.

/c/ (cha) amcic/cat/chat, acengu/enemy/ennemi

/č/ (yeč=yetch) ečč/to eat/manger, kečč/you/toi

/f/ (fa) yufa/he found/il a trouvé, afus/hand/main

/ğ/ (yeğ=yedj) urğin/never/jamais, eğğ/to leave/laisser

/γ/ (γar=ghar) aγrum/bread/ekmek/pain, aγerbaz/school/école

/h/ (ha) ahil/program/programme, hud/to destroy/détruire

/j/ (ja) ijdi/sand/sable, inijjel/anajel/bramble/roncier

/l/ (la) ili/to be/être, ilelli/free/libre

/m/ (ma) alemmas/middle/moyen, tameγra/feast (party)/fête

/n/ (na) tanumi/habit/habitude , asigna/clouds/nuages

/q/ (qil) aqcic/boy/garçon, aqbur/ancient/ancien

/r/ (ra) arrac/children/enfants, aru/to write/écrire

/s/ (sa) seksu/couscous , ussan/days/jours, asif/river/rivière

/ţ/ (yeţ=yets) neţţa/he/il , ţţu/to forget/oublier, ţţru/to cry/pleurer

/w/ (wa) awal/word/mot, waren/twenty/vingt

/x/ (xa=kha) axxam/house/maison, ixef/head/tête

/y/ (ya) tayri/love/amour, yunyu/june/juin

/z/ (za) azekka/tomorrow/demain, izi/fly (insect)/mouche,

/zz/ (yezz=yedz) Lezzayer/Algeria/Algérie, agezzar/butcher/boucher

2. Imesli aggaγ akk d imesli azenzaγ/Occlusive and spirant sounds

Kra n isekkilen, di teqbaylit, γur-sen yiwet n tira maca sin n isusruten.
Some Berber (kabyle) letters have one writing but two different pronunciations.
Llan semmus isekkilen γur-sen sin isusruten.                                                                                                                                                                   There are five letters which have two pronunciations.

b, d, g, k, t

Imedyaten/Examples

/b/ aggaγ = occlusive /b/ : bibb/to carry/porter, Rebbi/my God/mon Dieu  
/b/ azenzaγ = spirant /b/ : abrid/street (way)/rue, baba/father/père  

/d/ aggaγ = occlusive /d/ : amdan/human/homme, eddu/to walk, ldi/to open/d/ azenzaγ = spirant

/d/ : adrar/mountain/montagne, adrim/money/monnaie

/g/ aggaγ = occlusive /g/ : agrud/kid/gamin, argaz/man/homme

/g/ azenzaγ = spirant /g/ : agraw/group/groupe, agim/thousand/mille

/k/ aggaγ = occlusive /k/ : ibki/monkey/singe, ayefki/milk/lait nek/I, me/moi

/k/ azenzaγ = spirant /k/ : akal/land/terre, akli/slave/esclave, kem/you (f)/toi

/t/ aggaγ = occlusive /t/ : ntu/to steack in, tasumta/pillow/oreiller

/t/ azenzaγ = spirant /t/ : tamurt/country/pays, itri/star/étoile, tura/now  

Tamawt/Remark :

Isekkilen “b”, “d”, “g”, “k” d “t” mi ara yilin d ussiden deg wawal ttwantaqen dayem d aggaγen. When the letters “b”, “d”, “g”, “k” and “t” are intensive in the word, they are pronounced always as occlusive sounds. Taddart/village/village, Aseggas/year/année, Asekkil/letter/lettre

3. Imesla ufayen/Emphatic sounds

Tufayt/Emphasis/Stress accent/Accent d’intensité

Imesla ufayen ţwarun s umnes ddaw n usekkil. Llan semmus isekkilen ufayen : ḍ, ṛ, ṣ, ṭ, ẓ.

Emphatic sounds are written by adding a point (.) under the letter. There are five emphatic letters : ḍ, ṛ, ṣ, ṭ, ẓ.

Imedyaten/Examples

• /ḍ/ (ḍar) : emphatic /d/: iḍelli/yesterday/hier, aḍar/foot/pied, iḍ/night/nuit

• /ṛ/ (ṛar) : emphatic /r/ : ṛwiγ/I am satiated/je suis rassasié, iwṛiγ/to turn yellow/jaunir

• /ṣ/ (ṣar) : emphatic /s/ : ṣṣur/wall/mur, ṣa/seven/sept, ṣber/patience/patience

• /ṭ/ (ṭar) : emphatic /t/: tiṭ/eye/oeil, aṭas/a lot/beaucoup/bezzaf/çok, iṭij/sun

• /ẓ/ (ẓar) : emphatic /z/ : aẓar/root/racine, aẓekka/tomb/tombe, iẓri/view/vue

Tamawt/Remark :

Amer ad nekkes umnes (.) yellan ddaw usekkil “ẓ” γef wawalen “aẓekka”, “iẓri” d “aẓrem”, kraḍ wawalen-agi ad bedlen inumak-nnsen : ad uγalen “azekka”, “izri” d “azrem”.

If we delete the point (.) under the letter “ẓ” from the words “aẓekka/tomb/tombe”, “iẓri/view/vue” and “aẓrem/intestine/intestin”, these three words will change their meanings, they will become : “azekka/tomorrow/demain”, “izri/past/passé” and “azrem/snake/serpent”.

Same thing for  :

• iẓi/gall-bladder/vésicule biliaire

• izi/fly (insect)/mouche

• ṛwiγ/I am satiated/je suis rassasié

• rwiγ/I am disturbed/je suis perturbé

Tamawt tamenzut/First remark :

• Asekkil /ḥ/ (ḥim) ur yelli ara d ufay γas akken γur-s umnes ddaw-as. Neţţaru-t akka iwakken ad t-nesemgarad d usekkil “h”.

• The letter /ḥ/ (ḥim) is not emphatic in spite of the fact that it has a point (.) under it. We write it like this in order to differ it from the letter “h”.

ḥud/to save/sauver, hud/to destroy/détruire.

Isekkilen /ḥ/ (ḥim) akk d /ε/ (εil) d wid imu neqqar imesla ankaren.

The letters /ḥ / and /ε / are called pharyngeal sounds.

Imedyaten/Examples

• εiwen/to help/aider, aεebbuḍ/stomach/estomac

• tibḥirt/garden/jardin/djnina, ḥemmel/to love/aimer

• Tamawt tis snat/Second remark :

• Imesla ussiden/ Intensive sounds

• Tussda/Doubling of the consonant/Doublement de la consonne

• Imesli ussid yeţwaru s sin isekkilen.

• Intensive sound (double letter) is written with two letters.

Imedyaten/Examples

• Axxam/house/maison

• Annar/stadium/stade

• Uzzal/iron/fer

• Allav/brain, mind/cerveau

• Uccen/wolf/loup

Amgarad yellan gar isekkilen n timugna d yisekkilen ussiden :

Difference between normal letters and intensive letters :

• Izi/fly (insect)/mouche

• izzi/he surrounded/il a entouré

• Ifer/leaf/feuille

• iffer/he is hidden/il est caché

• Izem/lion/lion

• izzem/he closed/il a fermé

Nezmar ad neg tamawt dakken inumak n wawalen (“izi”, “ifer” d “izem”) mgaraden γef inumak n wawalen (“izzi”, “iffer” d “izzem”).

We can notice that the meanings of the words (“izi”, “ifer” and “izem”) are different from the meanings of the words (“izzi”, “iffer” and “izzem”).

Tamawt/Remark

Asekkil ussid/Double letter

Mi ara yili usekkil deg wawal gar yilem “e” d yilem “e” neγ gar yilem “e” d tiγri, yeţwaru d ussid.

When a letter in the word is between “e” and “e” or between “e” and a vowel, it is written as double letter (double consonant).

Imedyaten/Examples

• Yettef/he held/il tenait (e-e)

• Yewwet/he beat/il a frappé (e-e)

• Yennayer/January/janvier (e-a)

• Yemma/mother/mère (e-a)

• Tilelli/freedom/libertie (e-i)

• Agellid/king/roi (e-i)

• Yeffud/he is thirsty/il a soif (e-u)

• Ageffur/rain/pluie (e-u)

Llan kra n wawalen γur-sen isekkilen d ussiden deg yifeggagen-nnsen. There are some words which have double letters in their roots (bases).

Imedyaten/Examples

• ffeγ/to go out/sortir
• tuffγa/going out/sortie

• dder/to live/vivre
• tameddurt/life/vie

• taddart/village/village/qarya

̣

Amawal/Dictionary

• Tanga = subject/sujet, matière

• Azwel = title/titre

• Awal = word/mot (Awalen = words/mots)

• Amedya = example/exemple (Imedyaten = examples/exemples)

• Tiγri (tiγra) = vowel/voyelle (vowels/voyelles)

• Targalt (tirgalin) = consonant/consonne (consonants/consonnes)

• Amagnu = normal/normal(e)

• Aggay = group/groupe

• Alugen = rule/règlẹ (ilugan/rules/règles)

• Azal = value/valeur

• Asusru = pronunciation/pronociation (ususruten/pronunciations)

• Tira = writing/écriture

• Imesli = sound/son (imesla = sounds/sons)

• Imesli aggaγ = occlusive sound/son occlusif̣

• Imesli azenzaγ = spirant sound/son spiranṭ

• Imesli ufay = emphatic sound/son emphatiquẹ

• Imesli ankar = pharyngeal sound/son pharyngal

• Asekkil = letter/lettre (gram)̣ (Isekkilen = letters/lettres)

• Tutlayt = language/langue

• Tamsirt = lesson/leçon

• Afeggag = root, base/radical, racine (Ifeggagen/radicaux/,roots, bases)

• Tafelwit = table/tableau

• Umnes = point/point