amazighi امازيغي
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“amazighi” (امازيغي) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning Amazigh, Berber (person, culture).
Meanings
- Amazigh, Berber (person, culture)
- Amazigh language
Usage
Amazighi describes what relates to the Amazighs: origin, language, culture. The feminine is amazighiya and the plural is amazigh. The term is used mainly in debates about Tunisian identity and for the southern regions, such as Matmata, Tataouine or Djerba. The older, more popular word is barbri, but some people consider it connotated. Amazighi is now preferred by the people concerned and in activist or cultural discourse. Used as a noun, it also means the language, in phrases like yahki amazighi.
Example
جدّي يحكي بالأمازيغي.
jeddi ya7ki bel amazighi.
“My grandfather speaks Amazigh.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “amazighi” but also “amazi8i” and “amazighy”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 8 is light ha (ه) or ghayn (غ), depending on the writer.