Editing Language/Standard-moroccan-tamazight/Pronunciation/Alphabet-and-Pronunciation

<div class="pg_page_title">The Berber Alphabet</div>
[[File:Berber-Language-PolyglotClub.png|thumb]]
The '''Berber languages''' (also known as the Amazigh languages, Tamaziɣt, Tamazight, Thamazight; Neo-Tifinagh: ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖⵜ, Tuareg Tifinagh: ⵜⵎⵣⵗⵜ), are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. 


They comprise a group of closely related languages spoken by the Berbers, who are indigenous to North Africa. The languages were traditionally written with the ancient Libyco-Berber script, which now exists in the form of Tifinagh.


In today's lesson, you will learn how to write the different letters of the Berber alphabet, how to pronounce these letters whether it is through the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), or through a video with the pronunciation of the letters by a native speaker.


You will also find at the end of this lesson a virtual keyboard to be able to type each special character of this language.

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==Berber Alphabet and IPA Pronunciation==

{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2" |'''Berber-Latin'''
!IRCAM's<br>
Tifinagh<br>
equivalent
!Arabic<br>
equivalent
!IPA<br>
equivalent
! rowspan="1" |Similar English sound
|-
|1
|'''A a'''
|ⴰ
|أ / ا / َ
|æ
|"'''a'''" like in the English word b'''a'''d
|-
|2
|'''B b'''
|ⴱ
|ب
|β
|like the Spanish intervocalic "'''b'''" or "'''v'''"
|-
|3
|'''C c'''
|ⵛ
|ش
|ʃ
|the English "'''sh'''" in '''sh'''ip
|-
|4
|'''Č č''' ('''tc''')
|ⵞ
|تش
|t͡ʃ
|the English "'''ch'''" in '''Ch'''ina
|-
|5
|'''D d'''
|ⴷ
|د / ذ
|d or ð
|English "'''d'''", and English "'''th'''" in '''th'''is
|-
|6
|'''Ḍ ḍ'''
|ⴹ
|ض
|ðˤ
|emphatic "d"
|-
|7
|'''E e'''
|ⴻ
|''none''
|ə
|"'''a'''" in (unstressed) '''a'''ttack
|-
|8
|'''Ɛ ɛ''' ('''Â â''')
|ⵄ
|ع
|ʕ
|like Arabic ع ''`ayn'' (no English equivalent)
|-
|9
|'''F f'''
|ⴼ
|ف
|f
|like the English "'''f'''"
|-
|10
|'''G g'''
|ⴳ
|(گ)
|ɡ
|"'''g'''" like in the words '''g'''ate or '''G'''reek
|-
|11
|'''Ǧ ǧ''' ('''dj''')
|ⴵ
|(دج)
|d͡ʒ
|English "'''j'''" like in the words '''j'''oke and '''J'''ames
|-
|12
|'''Ɣ ɣ''' ('''gh''')
|ⵖ
|غ
|ɣ
|like "'''g'''" in Spanish ha'''g'''a or Southern Dutch '''g'''aan
|-
|13
|'''H h'''
|ⵀ
|هـ
|h
|"'''h'''" like in '''h'''ello or '''h'''igh
|-
|14
|'''Ḥ ḥ'''
|ⵃ
|ح
|ħ
|like in Arabic Mu'''ḥ'''ammad (no English equivalent)
|-
|15
|'''I i'''
|ⵉ
|ي / ِ
|i
|English '''ee''' like in sh'''ee'''t
|-
|16
|'''J j'''
|ⵊ
|ج
|ʒ
|like in confu'''s'''ion or televi'''s'''ion, French "'''j'''" in dé'''j'''à vu.
|-
|17
|'''K k'''
|ⴽ
|(ک)
|k
|English "'''k'''"
|-
|18
|'''L l'''
|ⵍ
|ل
|l or ɫ
|non-emphatic "'''L'''" (like in German or French)
|-
|19
|'''M m'''
|ⵎ
|م
|m
|'''m'''
|-
|20
|'''N n'''
|ⵏ
|ن
|n
|'''n'''
|-
|21
|'''Q q'''
|ⵇ
|ق
|q, qʷ or ɢ
|like Arabic ق "qaf" (no English equivalent)
|-
|22
|'''R r'''
|ⵔ
|ر
|r, rˤ
|like a Spanish or Italian "'''r'''"
|-
|23
|'''Ř ř'''
|ⵔ / ⵍ
|ر
|r ~ l
|A very light "R", pronounced like something between "R" and "L".
|-
|24
|'''Ṛ ṛ'''
|ⵕ
|ر
|rˤ
|emphatic "r"
|-
|25
|'''S s'''
|ⵙ
|س
|s
|'''s'''
|-
|26
|'''Ṣ ṣ'''
|ⵚ
|ص
|sˤ
|emphatic "s"
|-
|27
|'''T t'''
|ⵜ
|ت / ث
|t or θ
|English "'''t'''", and/or English "'''th'''" in '''th'''ree
|-
|28
|'''Ṭ ṭ'''
|ⵟ
|ط
|tˤ
|emphatic "t"
|-
|29
|'''U u'''
|ⵓ
|و / ُ
|ʊ
|English "'''u'''" like in p'''u'''t
|-
|30
|'''W w'''
|ⵡ
|وْ
|w
|English "'''w'''" in '''w'''ater
|-
|31
|'''X x'''
|ⵅ
|خ
|χ
|Spanish "'''j'''", German / Dutch "'''ch'''", Arabic "kh"
|-
|32
|'''Y y'''
|ⵢ
|يْ
|j
|English "'''y'''" like in '''y'''es
|-
|33
|'''Z z'''
|ⵣ
|ز
|z
|English "'''z'''" in '''z'''oo
|-
|34
|'''Ẓ ẓ'''
|ⵥ
|(ژ)
|zˤ
|emphatic "z"
|}


==Video - Berber Alphabet Pronunciation by a Native Speaker==
<youtube>2VOrmjY2EI8</youtube>
----
<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAbCUZYTCfs</youtube>

==Berber Online Virtual Keyboard==
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<include iframe src='https://polyglotclub.com/keyboard.php?souscat_url=standard-moroccan-tamazight' height='600px' frameborder='0' scrolling='yes' />


[[Category:Alphabet-and-Pronunciation]]