Senhaja de Srair or Senhaja Berber (endonym: or ; ), is a Northern Berber language spoken by the Senhaja de Srair inhabiting the central part of the Moroccan Rif. It is primarily spoken in the districts of Targuist, Ketama, and Bni Boufrah, west of the Tarifit-speaking area in eastern Rif, by approximately 85,000 speakers.
Despite its geographical distribution, the language belongs to the Atlas branch of Berber. It has also been influenced by the neighbouring Riffian language.
Name Besides Senhaja de Srair, the language is also known in English as Tasenhajit, Senhaja Berber, Senhajiya, Shilha/Shelha, Shelha n Senhaja and Tamazight n Senhaja. The most widespread endonym to refer to their language is Ccelḥa 'Shelha'. If necessary, one can specify, depending on the (sub-)tribe: Shelha of Ketama, Seddat, Taghzut, etc., or simply "our Shelha". Some Senhaja de Srair Berber activists prefer the name Taṣenhajit, as the term Shelha can refer to other Berber languages as well.
Senhaja de Srair speakers recognizes themselves using the ethnonym (masculine plural). Other forms of the ethnonym include (masculine singular), (feminine singular), and (feminine plural).
Language status Senhaja de Srair, according to the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger, is an endangered language.
Senhaja de Srair speakers have limited participation in the Berber Cultural Movement. Their situation has been described as a form of marginalization within both the wider Berber-speaking community and Moroccan society as a whole. Their language lacks official recognition, since state language policies have primarily focused only on the three large Moroccan Berber varieties (Tashelhit, Middle Atlas Berber, and Tarifit). It is also excluded from the Moroccan Census of the population (RGPH), in addition to public media, including regional radio stations such as those in Al-Hoceima and Tetouan, the national Amazigh radio, Tamazight TV and the educational system.
This limited engagement has been attributed to several factors, including the geographic isolation in the Rif mountains and the broader socio-economic conditions (the region being associated with cannabis cultivation, reported social prejudice against them, and the lower visibility of the language compared with other Berber languages).
Recently, the association of "Amazighs of Senhaja of the Rif" has emerged in Targuist with the aim of promoting and preserving the Senhajan language and cultural heritage. It has played a role in the development of a distinct cultural and identity discourse among Senhaja de Srair speakers. Its members include Charif Adardak, Iliasse Aarab, Mounir Aghzennay, and Mohamed Ben Abdellah Aghzout. In addition to various cultural initiatives, the association created Tidighin, a magazine devoted to the cultural and linguistic heritage of Senhaja de Srair.
Geographic distribution Senhaja de Srair is native to the Rif Mountains (northwestern Morocco), and is spoken by more than 70,000 people in Al Hoceima province, notably in the districts of Targuist, Ketama and Bni Boufrah. To the east, it borders the areas where Tarifit is spoken, while to the west it is separated from Ghomara by an Arabic-speaking area. Senhaja Berber can be considered as a "bridge" between Ghomara Berber and Tarifit, as the three languages share many characteristics, despite the geographical distance.
Near the current Berber-speaking core of Senhaja de Srair, many communities continue to speak Tasenhajit. In Bni Gmil, in the Bni Chboun fraction, the villages of Bougherda, Belḥekk and Lmaẓiyyin; in the Maksouline fraction, Hajar dib, Jaber, Tazarin, and Tizi; and in the Toulout Ouesti fraction, Guellet, Isoummar, and Tilouli. In Bni Boufrah, Tasenhajit is spoken in the village of Akhzouz, and in the tribe of Mettioua, in the village of Tarejdalt. It is also attested in Zouaoua, a small village of the Fennassa tribe.
The prevalence of Senhaja de Srair spoken also varies among the tribes:
Ait Ahmed: predominantly Berber-speaking, Arabic-speaking minority; Ait Bshir: predominantly Berber-speaking, Arabic-speaking minority; Ait Bunsar: entirely Berber-speaking; Ait Bushibet: entirely Arabic-speaking, except the village of Tarya; Ait Khennus: entirely Berber-speaking; Ait Mezduy: entirely Berber-speaking; Ait Seddat: entirely Berber-speaking; Ketama: bilingual both Berber and Arabic speaking; Taghzut: entirely Berber-speaking; Zerqet: entirely Berber-speaking; +Estimated number of Senhaja de Srair speakers for each Senhajan tribe:Tribe's nameNoteEstimated number of Tasenhajit speakersKetamaMixed (Berber and Arabic speaking)17.000Ait SeddatMajority Berber-speaking17.000TaghzutMajority Berber-speaking5.000Ait AhmedMajority Berber-speaking9.000Ait BunsarMajority Berber-speaking7.000Ait KhennusMajority Berber-speaking9.000Ait MezduyMajority Berber-speaking10.000ZerqetMajority Berber-speaking6.000Ait BshirMajority Berber-speaking6.000Ait BushibetMajority Arabic-speaking(-)Total85.000 speakers. Dialects Senhaja de Srair exhibits significant internal dialectal variation. Its dialcets include Ait Ahmed, Ait Bshir, Ait Bunsar, Ait Khennus, Ait Mezduy, Ait Seddat, Ketama, Taghzut, and Zerqet.
The Ketama dialect is considered distinct from that of other tribes, and is now spoken only in seven villages: Ait Ahmed, Ait Aissi, Makhzen, Asammar, Talghunt, Sahel, and Zgara. In Ketama, Senhaja Berber is also spoken in the village of Ighumad, on the northern slope of Adrar Dahduh, but this sector of Ketama has its main contacts with the Berber speakers of Ait Seddat, which favoured the preservation of the language there. +Actual taxonomy of Senhaja de Srair according to the degree of intelligibility:Pure Senhaja de SrairTransitional Senhaja de SrairEastern Western SouthernNorthern Southern Ait Mezduy Ait Bshir
Zerqet Ait Seddat Ait Khennus Ait Bunsar Ait Ahmed Ketama Taghzut Each dialect has its own shifts such as:
l > y / ǧ / r : A single *l usually undergoes changes in Senhaja, changing to y(y) in most varieties (Ketama/Seddat/Hmed/Bunsar), to ǧ(ǧ) in Taghzut, and to r(r) in Mezduy. A single *l is preserved in Zerqet. ll > ǧǧ : Long ll is preserved in Ketama, Hmed, as well as in Taghzut. Long ll > ǧǧ in Seddat, Bunsar, Zerqet, and Mezduy. g > y / w : Found in Hmed, Bunsar, Zerqet, and Mezduy. t > h / Ø : Found in Ketama and Taghzut.
+Lexical differencesKetamaTaghzutSeddatBunsarHmedZerqetMezduyDialectical shiftbrothergmagmagmaacqiqacqiqacqiqacqiql > y / ǧ / r sisterwiytmaweǧmawiytmatacqiqttacqiqttacqiqttacqiqtwater sourcetayyataǧatahayatahayatahayyatahalataharagroomaseyyi aseǧǧiaseyyiaseyyiasyiasliasribrideaseyyittiǧǧittaseyyittaseyyittasyittaslittasritto slaughterzyuǧǧuzzyuzzyuzyuzluzluto beyyiiǧiyyiiliiyyiiliiribecomeaɣuyaɣuǧaɣuyaɣuyɣuy~ɣulaɣulaɣuldonkeyaɣyuyaɣyulaɣyuyaɣyuyaɣyuy~aɣyulaɣyulaɣyurheartuyuǧuyuyuyulurfriendamdakkuyamtakeǧamdakkʷiamdakkʷiamdakkʷiamddakkʷelamddakkʷergrapesaḍiaḍiǧaḍiaḍiaḍiaḍilaḍirspeaksawisiweǧsawisawisiwisiwelsiwerforestamayuamaǧuamayuamayuamayuamaluamařualmondslluzlluzǧǧuzǧǧuzlluzǧǧuzǧǧuzll > ǧǧyesterdayiḍelliiḍelliiḍeǧǧiiḍeǧǧiiḍelliiḍeǧǧiiḍeǧǧiwhite amelluy amellulameǧǧuyameǧǧuyamelluyameǧǧulameǧǧurbeansllubiyallubiyaǧǧubiyaǧǧubiyallubiyaǧǧubiyaǧǧubiyaheadazellifazellifazeǧǧifadeǧǧifazellifaǧǧifazeǧǧifyardafragafragafragafragafrayafragafragg > y / wpickaxeagelzimagelizmagelzimayelzimayelzimayelzimayelzimmanargazargazargazaryazaryazaryazaryazyoung bullagenduzagenduzagenduzayenduzayenduzayenduzayenduzmushroomagursay -agursayagersuyawersalagersulagersulmosquemezgidamezgidatimezgidatimezgidatimezgidatimezgidatimezgidat > h / Øfigazart(h)azarttazarttazarttazarttazarttazart
Phonology 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].
FrontMidBackCloseMidOpen When a peripheral vowel follows a pharyngealized consonant, it is lowered and retracted. The schwa is pronounced as [u] before w and as [i] before y. In word-final position, the sequences -ew frequently develop into -u, and -ey into -i.
ew > u : sew > su (most Snh.) "Drink!"; ssew > ssu (most Snh.) "Irrigate!". el > ey > i : adfel (Zerqet) > adfey > adfi (most Snh.) "snow"; azzel (Zerqet) > azzey > azzi (most Snh.) "to run".
Consonants +ConsonantsLabialDentalAlveolarPost-alveolarPalatalVelarUvularPharyngealGlottalplainphar.plainphar.plainphar.plainphar.plainlab.NasalPlosivevoiceless()()voiced()Fricativevoicelessvoiced()()Approximant()Flap
Consonant assimilations Generally speaking, consonant assimilation is regressive, which means that a consonant is impacted by the sound that comes after it. The preverbal ventive clitic d is an exception to this pattern, deviating from the typical regressive behaviour.
Alveolar stops and post-alveolar fricatives are the consonants most frequently impacted by assimilation. Voicing assimilation is especially common. For instance, a voiced + voiceless sequence tends to become voiceless (e.g., d + t → t^t, ɣ + t → x^t), whereas a sequence of voiceless + voiced consonants usually produces a voiced result (e.g., t + d → d^d).
d + t > tt : d + tamɣart > t^tamɣart 'It is a woman'. ɣ + t > x^t : zri-ɣ + ten > zri-x^ten 'I saw them'. t + d > dd : tadeggʷat 'evening', by deleting the prefix vowel a: tdeggʷat > ddeggʷat.
These procedures vary among dialects, though. Compared to Ketama and Zerqet, assimilation phenomena are generally less common in Hmed, particularly within the verbal complex.
Sibilants Sibilant harmony is a type of Long-distance assimilation, in which sibilants often assimilate to each other.
Assimilation to the postverbal negative marker c/ci/cay.u rrfus ci > u rrfuc^ci 'Do not knead!'.
Assimilation of n The consonant n is special and can be assimilated in a variety of ways. It may assimilate to the following l, ll, r, ṛ, but does not assimilate to other consonants including m or b . This assimilation is optional and varies among speakers, as the assimilation to l/ll appears to be more widespread than to r/ṛ.
1P verbal subject prefix n- + l, ll, r, ṛ. The Genitive preposition n + l, ll, r, ṛ. Annexed state: n waman > w^waman 'of the water'.
Vocalic Sandhi In Berber languages, two consecutive vowels are typically avoided. One of the following approaches is usually used to resolve such a sequence when it occurs:
one of the vowels is elided (vowel elision), e.g. a + a > a. i-nna + as > i-nna^s 'He said to him/her'; a semivowel is inserted (Hiatustilger), e.g. a + a > a ya.i-nna + as > i-nna^yas 'He said to him/her'; one of the vowels becomes a semivowel, e.g. a + i > a y.arba + inu > arba ynu 'my son';
Writing system
Senhaja de Srair speakers are not used to writing in their language. Unlike some other Berber languages, Tifinagh script is never used in Tasenhajit. 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. The Berber Latin script: The 35-Letter Alphabet of Northern-BerberABCČDḌEƐFGǦƔHḤIJKLMNOQRŘṚSṢTṬUWXYZẒLower caseabcčdḍeɛfgǧɣhḥijklmnoqrřṛsṣtṭuwxyzẓ Grammar Nouns Senhaja Berber distinguishes two genders: masculine and feminine. As in most Berber languages, masculine nouns and adjectives generally start with a vowel (a-, i-, u-), while feminine nouns generally start with t- and end with a -t. e.g.
arba 'boy' vs. tarbat 'girl'.aɣyul 'donkey' vs. taɣyult 'jennet'.
Senhaja Berber countable nouns distinguish a singular from a plural. Masculine plurals generally take the prefix i-, feminines ti-, and take the suffix -en in the masculine and -in in the feminine, e.g.
argaz 'man' vs. irgazen 'men'.tacqiqt 'sister' vs. ticqiqin 'sisters'.