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Algerian Arabic

Algerian Arabic (Arabic: الدارجة الجزائرية, romanized: ad-Dārja al-Jazairia), natively known as Dziria, Darja or Derja, is a dialectal variety of Arabic spoken in Algeria. It belongs to the Maghrebi Arabic dialect continuum and is mostly intelligible with the Tunisian and Moroccan dialects.[2]

Algerian Arabic
Darja, Derja, Dziria
Native toAlgeria
RegionCentral Maghreb
EthnicityAlgerian Arab-Berbers
SpeakersL1: 36 million (2022)[1]
L2: 5.7 million (2022)[1]
Dialects
Arabic script
Language codes
ISO 639-3arq
Glottologalge1239
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.
Reda speaking Algerian Arabic.

Like other varieties of Maghrebi Arabic, Algerian Arabic has a mostly Semitic vocabulary.[3] It contains Berber, Punic and Latin (African Romance)[4] influences and has some loanwords from French, Andalusian Arabic, Ottoman Turkish and Spanish. Algerian Arabic contains a few Berber loanwords which represent 8% to 9% of its vocabulary.[5] The word Darja (Arabic: الدارجة) is an Arabic word meaning "everyday/colloquial dialect".[6]

Use edit

Algerian Arabic is the native dialect of 75% to 80% of Algerians and is mastered by 85% to 100% of them.[7] It is a spoken language used in daily communication and entertainment, while Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is generally reserved for official use and education. As in the rest of the Arab world, this linguistic situation has been described as diglossia: MSA is nobody's first acquired language; it is learned through formal instruction rather than transmission from parent to child.[8]

Besides informal communication, Algerian Arabic is rarely written. In 2008, The Little Prince was translated in Algerian Arabic. The first novel written in Algerian Arabic is published by Rabeh Sebaa in 2021 and is entitled Fahla (in Latin script and Arabic characters).[9]

Dialects edit

The Algerian language includes several distinct dialects belonging to two genetically different groups: pre-Hilalian and Hilalian dialects.

Hilalian dialects edit

Hilalian dialects of Algeria belong to three linguistic groups:[10]

  • Eastern Hilal dialects: spoken in the Hautes Plaines around Sétif, M'Sila and Djelfa;[11]
  • Central Hilal dialects: of central and southern Algeria, south of Algiers and Oran;[12]
  • Mâqil dialects: spoken in the western part of Oranais (noted for the third singular masculine accusative pronoun h, for example, /ʃʊfteh/ (I saw him), which would be /ʃʊftʊ/ in other dialects).[13]

Modern koine languages, urban and national, are based mainly on Hilalian dialects.

Pre-Hilalian dialects edit

Pre-Hilalian Arabic dialects are generally classified into three types: Urban, "Village" Sedentary, and Jewish dialects. Several Pre-Hilalian dialects are spoken in Algeria:[10][14]

  • Urban dialects can be found in all of Algeria's big cities. Urban dialects were formerly also spoken in other cities, such as Azemmour and Mascara, Algeria, where they are no longer used.
  • The Jijel Arabic (or Jijeli Dialect) is spoken in the triangular area north of Constantine, including Collo and Jijel (it is noteworthy for its pronunciation of [q] as [k] and [t] as [ts] and characterized, such as other Eastern pre-Hilalian dialects, by the preservation of the three short vowels).
  • The traras-Msirda dialect is spoken in the area north of Tlemcen, including the eastern Traras, Rachgoun and Honaine (it is noted for its pronunciation of [q] as [k]) ;
  • Judeo-Algerian Arabic is no longer spoken after Jews left Algeria in 1962, following its independence.

Phonology edit

Consonants edit

In comparison to other Maghrebi dialects, Algerian Arabic has retained numerous phonetic elements of Classical Arabic lost by its relatives;[15][16] In Algiers dialect, the letters /ðˤ/ ظ, /ð/ ذ, and ث /θ/ are not used, they are in most cases pronounced as the graphemes ض, د, and ت respectively.[15] This conservatism concerning pronunciation is in contrast to Algerian Arabic grammar which has shifted noticeably.[16] In terms of differences from Classical Arabic, the previous /r/ and /z/ phonemes have developed contrastive glottalized forms and split into /r/ and //; and /z/ and //. Additionally, /q/ from Classical Arabic has split into /q/ and /ɡ/ in most dialects. The phonemes /v/ and /p/ which are not common in Arabic dialects arise almost exclusively from (predominantly French) loanwords.[15]

^1 The voiceless "Ch" (t͡ʃ) is used in some words in the Algerian dialect like "تشينا" /t͡ʃinaː/ (orange) or "تشاراك" /t͡ʃaːraːk/ (A kind of Algerian sweet) but remains rare.

Dissimilation edit

A study of Northwestern Algerian Arabic (specifically around Oran) showed that laterals /l/ or /ɫ/ or the nasal consonant /n/ would be dissimilated into either /n/ in the case of /l/ or /ɫ/; or /l/ or /ɫ/ in the case of /n/ when closely preceding a corresponding lateral or nasal consonant.[17] Thus /zəlzla/ (earthquake) has become /zənzla/, conversely /lʁənmi/ "mutton" becomes /lʁəlmi/.[17]

Assimilation edit

The same study also noted numerous examples of assimilation in Northwestern Algerian Arabic, due to the large consonant clusters created from all of the historical vowel deletion: examples include /dəd͡ʒaːd͡ʒ/ "chicken", becoming /d͡ʒaːd͡ʒ/ and /mliːħ/ "good", becoming /mniːħ/.[17] An example of assimilation that occurs after the short vowel deletion is the historical /dərˤwŭk/ "now" becoming /drˤuːk/ and then being assimilated to /duːk/,[17] illustrating the order in which the rules of Algerian Arabic may operate.

Vowels edit

Monophthong phonemes of Algerian Arabic
Short Long
Front Central Back Front Back
Close ə u
Mid
Open

The phonemic vowel inventory of Algerian Arabic consists of three long vowels: //, //, and // contrasted with two short vowels: /u/ and /ə/.[15][17] Algerian Arabic Vowels retains a great deal of features in relation to Classical Arabic Arabic phonology, namely the continued existence of 3 long vowels: //, //, and //,[16] Algerian Arabic also retains the short close back vowel /u/ in speech, however the short equivalents of // and // have fused in modern Algerian Arabic, creating a single phoneme /ə/.[17] Also notable among the differences between Classical Arabic and Algerian Arabic is the deletion of short vowels entirely from open syllables[16] and thus word final positions,[15] which creates a stark distinction between written Classical Arabic, and casually written Algerian Arabic. One point of interest in Algerian Arabic that sets it apart from other conservative Arabic dialects is its preservation of phonemes in (specifically French) loanwords that would otherwise not be found in the language: /ɔ̃/, /y/, and /ɛ/ are all preserved in French loanwords such as /syʁ/ (French: 'sûre', English: 'sure') or /kɔnɛksiɔ̃/ (connection).[15]

Grammar edit

Nouns and adjectives edit

English Algerian Arabic
drink šrab
sky sma
water ma
woman / women mra / nsa
fire nar
big kbir
man / men rajel / rjal
day nhar / yum
moon qmer
night lil
bread khubz / kesra
small ṣγir
Turtle Fekrun
sand rmel
winter / rain šta / mṭar / nu
ball balun
towel serbita
toilet / bathroom bit-el-ma / bit-er-raḥa / Twalat

Conjunctions and prepositions edit

English Algerian Arabic Notes of usage
but beṣṣaḥ
if ila, ida, lakan, kun, Fihalat used for impossible conditions and comes just before the verb
if lukan, kun for possible conditions, Also used is "ida" and "kan"
so that, that baš, bah
that belli
as if ki šγul, tquši, tqul, tgul
because xaṭar, xaṭrakeš, εlaxaṭer, εlajal
when ila / wakta / winta / Ki (used for some cases like : when you come I'll tell you)
before qbel ma / gbel ma used before verbs
without bla ma / blach used before verbs
whether kaš ma used before verbs
under taḥt
over, on top of fuq or fug
after mur / mura / Baεd / wra
before qbel / gbel used only for time
next to, beside quddam or guddam is also used "ḥda"
at εend / εla
with mεa
among, between bin, binat (plural)
same as, as much as εla ḥsab, qed, ged, kima amount
oh, oh so much ya, ah

Some of them can be attached to the noun, just like in other Arabic dialects. The word for in, "fi", can be attached to a definite noun. For example, the word for a house has a definite form "ed-dar" but with "fi", it becomes "fed-dar".

Gender edit

Algerian Arabic uses two genders for words: masculine and feminine. Masculine nouns and adjectives generally end with a consonant while the feminine nouns generally end with an a.

Examples:

  • [rɑfiːq ħmɑr] "Rafik is a donkey (male)", [zɑjnɑb ħmɑrɑ] "Zeyneb is a donkey (female)".

Pluralisation edit

Hilalian dialects, on which the modern koine is based, often use regular plural while the wider use of the broken plural is characteristic to pre-Hilalian dialects.

The regular masculine plural is formed with the suffix -in, which derives from the Classical Arabic genitive and accusative ending -īna rather than the nominative -ūna:

mumen (believer) → mumnin

For feminine nouns, the regular plural is obtained by suffixing -at:

Classical Arabic: bint (girl) → banat
Algerian Arabic: bent → bnat

The broken plural can be found for some plurals in Hilalian dialects, but it is mainly used, for the same words, in pre-Hilalian dialects:

Broken plural: ṭabla → ṭwabəl.

Article edit

The article el is indeclinable and expresses a definite state of a noun of any gender and number. It is also prefixed to each of that noun's modifying adjectives.

It follows the sun and moon letters rules of Classical Arabic: if the word starts with one of these consonants, el is assimilated and replaced by the first consonant:

t, d, r, z, s, š, , , , l, n.

Examples:

rajel → er-rajel "man" (assimilation)
qeṭṭ → el-qeṭṭ "cat" (no assimilation)

Important Notes:

  • When it is after lunar letters consonant we add the article le-.

Examples:

qmer → le-qmer "moon"
ḥjer → le-ḥjer "stone"
  • We always use the article el with the words that begin with vowels.

Examples:

alf → el-alf "thousand"

Verbs edit

Verbs are conjugated by adding affixes (prefixes, postfixes, both or none) that change according to the tense.

In all Algerian Arabic dialects, there is no gender differentiation of the second and third person in the plural forms, nor is there gender differentiation of the second person in the singular form in pre-Hilalian dialects. Hilalian dialects preserve the gender differentiation of the singular second person.

Person Past Present
Singular Plural Singular Plural
1st - t - na n - n(e) - u
2nd (m) - t - tu t - t - u
2nd (f) - ti - tu t - i t - u
3rd (m) - - u i/y(e) - i/y(e) - u
3rd (f) - t - u t(e) - i/y(e) - u
  • Example with the verb kteb "To write":
Person Past Present
Singular Plural Singular Plural
1st (m) ktebt ktebna nekteb nekketbu
2nd (m) ktebt ktebtu tekteb tekketbu
2nd (f) ktebti ktebtu tekketbi tekketbu
3rd (m) kteb ketbu yekteb yekketbu
3rd (f) ketbet ketbu tekteb yekketbu
Person Past Present Future Present continuous
Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural
1st (m) ktebt ktebna nekteb nekketbu Rayenekteb Rayḥin nekketbu Rani nekteb Rana nekketbu
1st (f) ktebt ktebna nekteb nekketbu Rayḥa nekteb Rayḥin nekketbu Rani nekteb Rana nekketbu
2nd (m) ketbt ktebtu tekteb tekketbu Rayetekteb Rayḥin tekketbu Rak tekteb Rakum tekketbu
2nd (f) ktebti ktebtu tekketbi tekketbu Rayḥa tekketbi Rayḥin tekketbu Raki tekketbi Rakum tekketbu
3rd (m) kteb ketbu yekteb yekketbu Rayeyekteb Rayḥin yekketbu Rah yekteb Rahum yekketbu
3rd (f) ketbet ketbu tekteb yekketbu Rayḥa tekteb Rayḥin yekketbu Raha tekteb Rahum yekketbu

Future tense edit

Speakers generally do not use the future tense above. Used instead is the present tense or present continuous.

Also, as is used in all of the other Arabic dialects, there is another way of showing active tense. The form changes the root verb into an adjective. For example, "kteb" he wrote becomes "kateb".

Negation edit

Like all North African Arabic varieties (including Egyptian Arabic) along with some Levantine Arabic varieties, verbal expressions are negated by enclosing the verb with all its affixes, along with any adjacent pronoun-suffixed preposition, within the circumfix ma ...-š (/ʃ/):

  • « lεebt » ("I played") → « ma lεebt-š /ʃ/  » ("I didn't play")
  • « ma tṭabbaεni-š » ("Don't push me")
  • « ma yṭawlu-l-ek-š hadu le-qraεi » ("Those bottles won't last you long")
  • « ma sibt-š plaṣa » ("I couldn't get a seat / parking place")
Person Past Present Future Present continuous
Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural
1st (m) ma ktebt ma ktebna ma nekteb-š ma nekketbu ma Rayeḥ-š nekteb ma Rayḥin-š nekketbu ma Rani-š nekteb ma Rana-š nekketbu
2st (f) ma ktebt ma ktebna ma nekteb-š ma nekketbu ma Rayḥanekteb ma Rayḥin-š nekketbu ma Rani-š nekteb ma Rana-š nekketbu
2nd (m) ma ketbt ma ktebtu ma tekteb-š ma tekketbu ma Rayeḥ-š tekteb ma Rayḥin-š tekketbu ma Rak-š tekteb ma Rakum-š tekketbu
2rd (f) ma ktebti ma ktebtu ma tekketbi ma tekketbu ma Rayḥatekketbi ma Rayḥin-š tekketbu ma Raki-š tekketbi ma Rakum-š tekketbu
3rd (m) ma kteb-š ma ketbu ma yekteb-š ma yekketbu ma Rayeḥ-š yekteb ma Rayḥin-š yekketbu ma Rah-š yekteb ma Rahum-š yekketbu
3rd (f) ma ketbet ma ketbu ma tekteb-š ma yekketbu ma Rayḥatekteb ma Rayḥin-š yekketbu ma Raha-š tekteb ma Rahum-š yekketbu

Other negative words (walu, etc.) are used in combination with ma to express more complex types of negation. ʃ is not used when other negative words are used

  • ma qult walu ("I didn't say anything")
  • ma šuft tta waḥed ("I didn't see anyone")

or when two verbs are consecutively in the negative

  • ma šuft ma smeεt ("I neither saw nor did I hear").

Verb derivation edit

Verb derivation is done by adding affixes or by doubling consonants, there are two types of derivation forms: causative, passive.

  • Causative: is obtained by doubling consonants :
xrej "to go out" → xerrej "to make to go out"
dxel "to enter" → dexxel "to make to enter, to introduce".
  • Passive:It is obtained by prefixing the verb with t- / tt- / tn- / n- :
qtel "to kill" → tneqtel "to be killed"
šreb "to drink" → tnešreb "to be drunk".

The adverbs of location edit

Things could be in three places hnaya (right here), hna (here) or el-hih (there).

Pronouns edit

Personal pronouns edit

Most Algerian Arabic dialects have eight personal pronouns since they no longer have gender differentiation of the second and third person in the plural forms. However, pre-Hilalian dialects retain seven personal pronouns since gender differentiation of the second person in the singular form is absent as well.

Person Singular Plural
1st ana ḥna
2nd (m) n'ta n'tuma
2nd (f) n'ti n'tuma
3rd (m) huwwa huma
3rd (f) hiyya huma

Example: « ḥatta ana/ana tani. » — "Me too."

Person Algerian Arabic
I am rani
You are (m) rak
You are (f) raki
He is rah or Rahu
She is Rahi or Raha
We are rana
You or Y'all are raku or rakum (m)and (f)
They are rahum (m)and (f)

Example: « Rani hna. » — "I'm here." and « Waš rak. » "How are you." to both males and females.

Possessive pronouns edit

Dar means house.

Person Singular Plural
1st i (Dari) na (Darna)
2nd (e)k (Dar(e)k) kum (Darkum)
3rd (m) u (Daru) (h)um (Dar(h)um)
3rd (f) ha (Darha) (hum) (Dar(h)um)

Example : « dar-na. » — "Our house" (House-our) Possessives are frequently combined with taε "of, property" : dar taε-na — "Our house.", dar taε-kum ...etc.

Singular:

taε-i = my or mine

taε-ek = your or yours (m, f)

taε-u = his

taε-ha = hers

Plural:

taε-na = our or ours

taε-kum = your or yours (m, f)

taε-hum = their or theirs (m, f)

"Our house" can be Darna or Dar taε-na, which is more like saying 'house of ours'. Taε can be used in other ways just like in English in Spanish. You can say Dar taε khuya, which means 'house of my brother' or 'my brother's house'.

Interrogative pronouns edit

Interrogatives Algerian Arabic
What ? waš ?
When ? waqtaš ? / wektaš ? / wektah ? / wekket ?
Why? 3lah ? / 3laš ? / llah ?
Which ? waš-men ? / aš-men ? / ama ?
Where ? win ?
Who ? škun ? / menhu ?
How ? kifaš ? / kifah ? / ki ?
How many ? šḥal ? / qeddaš ? / gueddaš ? / gueddah ?
Whose ? taε-men ?

Verbal pronouns edit

Person Singular Plural
1st ni na
2nd (m) (e)k kum
3rd (m) u (after a consonant) / h (after a vowel)
/ hu (before an indirect object pronoun)
hum
3rd (f) ha hum

Examples:

« šuft-ni. » — "You saw me." (You.saw-me)
« qetl-u. » — "He killed him." (He.killed-him)
« kla-h. » — "He ate it." (He.ate-it)

Demonstratives edit

Unlike Classical Arabic, Algerian Arabic has no dual and uses the plural instead. The demonstrative (Hadi) is also used for "it is".

Interrogatives Algerian Arabic Emphasized
This had (m), hadi (f) hada, hadaya (m), hadiyya (f)
That dak (m), dik (f) hadak (m), hadik (f)
These hadu haduma
Those duk haduk

Sample text edit

Auguste Moulieras's Les fourberies de si Djeh'a. The text below was translated from Kabyle language.[18]

Buzelluf Sheep Head
Waħed en-nhar, jħa med-lu baba-h frank, baş yeşri buzelluf. Şra-h, w kla gagħ leħm-u. Bqa ğir legħdem, jab-u l baba-h. Ki şaf-u qal-lu: "waş hada?" Qal-lu: "buzelluf".

-A şmata, win rahi wedn-u?

-Kan tgħreş.

-Win rahum għini-h?

-Kan għma.

-Win rah lsan-u?

-Kan bekkuş.

- U el-jelda tagħ ras-u, win rahi?

-Kan fertgħas.
One day, Jha's father gave him one cent so he buys a sheep head. He bought it and ate all of its meat. Only an empty carcass was left. He brought it to his father. Then, when he saw it, he said: "what is that?" Jehha said: "a sheep head".

-You vile, where are its ears?

-It was deaf.

-Where are its eyes?

-It was blind.

-Where is its tongue?

-It was mute.

-And the skin of its head, where is it?

-It was bald.

French loanwords edit

Algerian Arabic contains numerous French loanwords.

Algerian Arabic French loanword English meaning Algerian Arabic French loanword English meaning
feršiṭa fourchette fork por port port
friza fraises strawberries otel hôtel hotel
nurmalmu normalement normally frijider frigidaire refrigerator
karṭa carte card bumba bombe bomb
buja (v) bouger (v) move (v) atay thé tea
farina farine flour duntist dentiste dentist
tilifun téléphone phone šufur chauffeur driver
valiza valise suitcase paṣpur passport passport
trunspur transport transportation tunubil automobile car
kazirna caserne barracks couzina cuisine kitchen
fermli infirmier (male) nurse blaṣa/plaṣa place place/seat
pyasa/byasa pièce piece šarji (v) charger (v) load (v)
karti quartier district jerda jardin garden
girra guerre war riska (v) risquer (v) risk (v)
(g)kravaṭa cravate tie zigu égout sewer
mikru micro-ordinateur computer kadre cadre frame
riẓu réseau network ridu rideau curtain
ṭabla table table biyyi billet ticket
vista veste jacket bulisiyya police police
kaskiṭa casquette cap balona ballon ball
makiyaj maquillage makeup āntik antique old

(v)=verb

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Algerian Arabic at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)  
  2. ^ "Algeria - Languages | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  3. ^ Elimam, Abdou (2009). Du Punique au Maghribi : Trajectoires d'une langue sémito-méditerranéenne (PDF). Synergies Tunisie.
  4. ^ Martin Haspelmath; Uri Tadmor (22 December 2009). Loanwords in the World's Languages: A Comparative Handbook. Walter de Gruyter. p. 195. ISBN 978-3-11-021844-2.
  5. ^ Wexler, Paul (2012-02-01). The Non-Jewish Origins of the Sephardic Jews. State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-1-4384-2393-7.
  6. ^ Wehr, Hans (2011). A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic.; Harrell, Richard S. (1966). Dictionary of Moroccan Arabic.
  7. ^ "Arabic, Algerian Spoken". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
  8. ^ Al‐Wer, Enam; Jong, Rudolf (2017). "Dialects of Arabic". In Boberg, Charles; Nerbonne, John; Watt, Dominic (eds.). The Handbook of Dialectology. Wiley. p. 525. doi:10.1002/9781118827628.ch32. ISBN 978-1-118-82755-0. OCLC 989950951.
  9. ^ "Rabeh Sbaa : " L'algérien n'est pas un dialecte, c'est une langue à part entière "". Middle East Eye édition française (in French). Retrieved 2022-11-26.
  10. ^ a b K. Versteegh, Dialects of Arabic: Maghreb Dialects 2015-07-15 at the Wayback Machine, hteachmideast.org
  11. ^ The Eastern Hilal also includes central Tunisian Bedouin dialects.
  12. ^ The Central Hilal also includes Algerian Saharan Arabic.
  13. ^ The Mâqil family of dialects also includes Moroccan Bedouin Arabic dialects and Hassaniya. Those of the Oranais are similar to those of eastern Morocco (Oujda area)
  14. ^ D. Caubet, Questionnaire de dialectologie du Maghreb 2013-11-12 at the Wayback Machine, in: EDNA vol.5 (2000-2001), pp.73-92
  15. ^ a b c d e f g Harrat, Salima; et al. (2016-11-03). "An Algerian Dialect Study and Resources" (PDF). HAL Archives. p. 390. Retrieved 2019-01-29.
  16. ^ a b c d Souag, Lameen (2020-01-29). "Description of Algerian Arabic". Rosetta Project. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  17. ^ a b c d e f Guerrero, Jairo (2014-01-01). "A Phonetical Sketch of The Arabic Dialect Spoken in Oran (Northwestern Algeria)". Academia. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
  18. ^ Bellagh, M. A. (1987). "Auguste Moulieras, Les fourberies de Si Djeh fa (Contes Kabyles)". Horizons Maghrébins - Le droit à la mémoire. 11 (1): 102–103.

algerian, arabic, confused, with, algerian, saharan, arabic, this, article, possibly, contains, original, research, please, improve, verifying, claims, made, adding, inline, citations, statements, consisting, only, original, research, should, removed, april, 2. Not to be confused with Algerian Saharan Arabic This article possibly contains original research Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations Statements consisting only of original research should be removed April 2019 Learn how and when to remove this template message Algerian Arabic Arabic الدارجة الجزائرية romanized ad Darja al Jazairia natively known as Dziria Darja or Derja is a dialectal variety of Arabic spoken in Algeria It belongs to the Maghrebi Arabic dialect continuum and is mostly intelligible with the Tunisian and Moroccan dialects 2 Algerian ArabicDarja Derja DziriaNative toAlgeriaRegionCentral MaghrebEthnicityAlgerian Arab BerbersSpeakersL1 36 million 2022 1 L2 5 7 million 2022 1 Language familyAfro Asiatic SemiticWest SemiticCentral SemiticArabicMaghrebi ArabicAlgerian ArabicDialectsWestern Algerian Arabic Eastern Algerian ArabicWriting systemArabic scriptLanguage codesISO 639 3 a href https iso639 3 sil org code arq class extiw title iso639 3 arq arq a Glottologalge1239This article contains IPA phonetic symbols Without proper rendering support you may see question marks boxes or other symbols instead of Unicode characters For an introductory guide on IPA symbols see Help IPA source source source source source source source source Reda speaking Algerian Arabic Like other varieties of Maghrebi Arabic Algerian Arabic has a mostly Semitic vocabulary 3 It contains Berber Punic and Latin African Romance 4 influences and has some loanwords from French Andalusian Arabic Ottoman Turkish and Spanish Algerian Arabic contains a few Berber loanwords which represent 8 to 9 of its vocabulary 5 The word Darja Arabic الدارجة is an Arabic word meaning everyday colloquial dialect 6 Contents 1 Use 2 Dialects 2 1 Hilalian dialects 2 2 Pre Hilalian dialects 3 Phonology 3 1 Consonants 3 1 1 Dissimilation 3 1 2 Assimilation 3 2 Vowels 4 Grammar 4 1 Nouns and adjectives 4 2 Conjunctions and prepositions 4 2 1 Gender 4 2 2 Pluralisation 4 3 Article 4 4 Verbs 4 5 Future tense 4 6 Negation 4 7 Verb derivation 4 8 The adverbs of location 4 9 Pronouns 4 9 1 Personal pronouns 4 9 2 Possessive pronouns 4 9 3 Interrogative pronouns 4 9 4 Verbal pronouns 4 10 Demonstratives 5 Sample text 6 French loanwords 7 See also 8 ReferencesUse editAlgerian Arabic is the native dialect of 75 to 80 of Algerians and is mastered by 85 to 100 of them 7 It is a spoken language used in daily communication and entertainment while Modern Standard Arabic MSA is generally reserved for official use and education As in the rest of the Arab world this linguistic situation has been described as diglossia MSA is nobody s first acquired language it is learned through formal instruction rather than transmission from parent to child 8 Besides informal communication Algerian Arabic is rarely written In 2008 The Little Prince was translated in Algerian Arabic The first novel written in Algerian Arabic is published by Rabeh Sebaa in 2021 and is entitled Fahla in Latin script and Arabic characters 9 Dialects editThe Algerian language includes several distinct dialects belonging to two genetically different groups pre Hilalian and Hilalian dialects Hilalian dialects edit Hilalian dialects of Algeria belong to three linguistic groups 10 Eastern Hilal dialects spoken in the Hautes Plaines around Setif M Sila and Djelfa 11 Central Hilal dialects of central and southern Algeria south of Algiers and Oran 12 Maqil dialects spoken in the western part of Oranais noted for the third singular masculine accusative pronoun h for example ʃʊfteh I saw him which would be ʃʊftʊ in other dialects 13 Modern koine languages urban and national are based mainly on Hilalian dialects Pre Hilalian dialects edit Pre Hilalian Arabic dialects are generally classified into three types Urban Village Sedentary and Jewish dialects Several Pre Hilalian dialects are spoken in Algeria 10 14 Urban dialects can be found in all of Algeria s big cities Urban dialects were formerly also spoken in other cities such as Azemmour and Mascara Algeria where they are no longer used The Jijel Arabic or Jijeli Dialect is spoken in the triangular area north of Constantine including Collo and Jijel it is noteworthy for its pronunciation of q as k and t as ts and characterized such as other Eastern pre Hilalian dialects by the preservation of the three short vowels The traras Msirda dialect is spoken in the area north of Tlemcen including the eastern Traras Rachgoun and Honaine it is noted for its pronunciation of q as k Judeo Algerian Arabic is no longer spoken after Jews left Algeria in 1962 following its independence Phonology editConsonants edit Consonant phonemes of Algerian Arabic 15 Labial Dental Alveolar Palatal Velar Uvular Pharyngeal Glottalplain emphatic plain emphaticNasal m mˤ n nˤ Occlusive voiceless p t tˤ t ʃ 1 k q ʔ voiced b bˤ d dˤ d ʒ ɡFricative voiceless f s sˤ ʃ x ħ hvoiced v z zˤ ʒ ʁ ʕTrill r rˤApproximant l ɫ j wIn comparison to other Maghrebi dialects Algerian Arabic has retained numerous phonetic elements of Classical Arabic lost by its relatives 15 16 In Algiers dialect the letters dˤ ظ d ذ and ث 8 are not used they are in most cases pronounced as the graphemes ض د and ت respectively 15 This conservatism concerning pronunciation is in contrast to Algerian Arabic grammar which has shifted noticeably 16 In terms of differences from Classical Arabic the previous r and z phonemes have developed contrastive glottalized forms and split into r and rˤ and z and zˤ Additionally q from Classical Arabic has split into q and ɡ in most dialects The phonemes v and p which are not common in Arabic dialects arise almost exclusively from predominantly French loanwords 15 1 The voiceless Ch t ʃ is used in some words in the Algerian dialect like تشينا t ʃinaː orange or تشاراك t ʃaːraːk A kind of Algerian sweet but remains rare Dissimilation edit A study of Northwestern Algerian Arabic specifically around Oran showed that laterals l or ɫ or the nasal consonant n would be dissimilated into either n in the case of l or ɫ or l or ɫ in the case of n when closely preceding a corresponding lateral or nasal consonant 17 Thus zelzla earthquake has become zenzla conversely lʁenmi mutton becomes lʁelmi 17 Assimilation edit The same study also noted numerous examples of assimilation in Northwestern Algerian Arabic due to the large consonant clusters created from all of the historical vowel deletion examples include ded ʒaːd ʒ chicken becoming d ʒaːd ʒ and mliːħ good becoming mniːħ 17 An example of assimilation that occurs after the short vowel deletion is the historical derˤwŭk now becoming drˤuːk and then being assimilated to duːk 17 illustrating the order in which the rules of Algerian Arabic may operate Vowels edit Monophthong phonemes of Algerian Arabic Short LongFront Central Back Front BackClose e u iː uːMidOpen aːThe phonemic vowel inventory of Algerian Arabic consists of three long vowels iː uː and aː contrasted with two short vowels u and e 15 17 Algerian Arabic Vowels retains a great deal of features in relation to Classical Arabic Arabic phonology namely the continued existence of 3 long vowels iː uː and aː 16 Algerian Arabic also retains the short close back vowel u in speech however the short equivalents of iː and aː have fused in modern Algerian Arabic creating a single phoneme e 17 Also notable among the differences between Classical Arabic and Algerian Arabic is the deletion of short vowels entirely from open syllables 16 and thus word final positions 15 which creates a stark distinction between written Classical Arabic and casually written Algerian Arabic One point of interest in Algerian Arabic that sets it apart from other conservative Arabic dialects is its preservation of phonemes in specifically French loanwords that would otherwise not be found in the language ɔ y and ɛ are all preserved in French loanwords such as syʁ French sure English sure or kɔnɛksiɔ connection 15 Grammar editNouns and adjectives edit English Algerian Arabicdrink srabsky smawater mawoman women mra nsafire narbig kbirman men rajel rjalday nhar yummoon qmernight lilbread khubz kesrasmall ṣgirTurtle Fekrunsand rmelwinter rain sta mṭar nuball baluntowel serbitatoilet bathroom bit el ma bit er raḥa TwalatConjunctions and prepositions edit English Algerian Arabic Notes of usagebut beṣṣaḥif ila ida lakan kun Fihalat used for impossible conditions and comes just before the verbif lukan kun for possible conditions Also used is ida and kan so that that bas bahthat bellias if ki sgul tqusi tqul tgulbecause xaṭar xaṭrakes elaxaṭer elajalwhen ila wakta winta Ki used for some cases like when you come I ll tell you before qbel ma gbel ma used before verbswithout bla ma blach used before verbswhether kas ma used before verbsunder taḥtover on top of fuq or fugafter mur mura Baed wrabefore qbel gbel used only for timenext to beside quddam or guddam is also used ḥda at eend elawith meaamong between bin binat plural same as as much as ela ḥsab qed ged kima amountoh oh so much ya ahSome of them can be attached to the noun just like in other Arabic dialects The word for in fi can be attached to a definite noun For example the word for a house has a definite form ed dar but with fi it becomes fed dar Gender edit Algerian Arabic uses two genders for words masculine and feminine Masculine nouns and adjectives generally end with a consonant while the feminine nouns generally end with an a Examples rɑfiːq ħmɑr Rafik is a donkey male zɑjnɑb ħmɑrɑ Zeyneb is a donkey female Pluralisation edit Hilalian dialects on which the modern koine is based often use regular plural while the wider use of the broken plural is characteristic to pre Hilalian dialects The regular masculine plural is formed with the suffix in which derives from the Classical Arabic genitive and accusative ending ina rather than the nominative una mumen believer mumnin dd For feminine nouns the regular plural is obtained by suffixing at Classical Arabic bint girl banat Algerian Arabic bent bnat dd The broken plural can be found for some plurals in Hilalian dialects but it is mainly used for the same words in pre Hilalian dialects Broken plural ṭabla ṭwabel dd Article edit The article el is indeclinable and expresses a definite state of a noun of any gender and number It is also prefixed to each of that noun s modifying adjectives It follows the sun and moon letters rules of Classical Arabic if the word starts with one of these consonants el is assimilated and replaced by the first consonant t d r z s s ṣ ḍ ṭ l n Examples rajel er rajel man assimilation qeṭṭ el qeṭṭ cat no assimilation dd Important Notes When it is after lunar letters consonant we add the article le Examples qmer le qmer moon ḥjer le ḥjer stone dd We always use the article el with the words that begin with vowels Examples alf el alf thousand dd Verbs edit Verbs are conjugated by adding affixes prefixes postfixes both or none that change according to the tense In all Algerian Arabic dialects there is no gender differentiation of the second and third person in the plural forms nor is there gender differentiation of the second person in the singular form in pre Hilalian dialects Hilalian dialects preserve the gender differentiation of the singular second person Person Past PresentSingular Plural Singular Plural1st t na n n e u2nd m t tu t t u2nd f ti tu t i t u3rd m u i y e i y e u3rd f t u t e i y e uExample with the verb kteb To write Person Past PresentSingular Plural Singular Plural1st m ktebt ktebna nekteb nekketbu2nd m ktebt ktebtu tekteb tekketbu2nd f ktebti ktebtu tekketbi tekketbu3rd m kteb ketbu yekteb yekketbu3rd f ketbet ketbu tekteb yekketbuPerson Past Present Future Present continuousSingular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural1st m ktebt ktebna nekteb nekketbu Rayeḥ nekteb Rayḥin nekketbu Rani nekteb Rana nekketbu1st f ktebt ktebna nekteb nekketbu Rayḥa nekteb Rayḥin nekketbu Rani nekteb Rana nekketbu2nd m ketbt ktebtu tekteb tekketbu Rayeḥ tekteb Rayḥin tekketbu Rak tekteb Rakum tekketbu2nd f ktebti ktebtu tekketbi tekketbu Rayḥa tekketbi Rayḥin tekketbu Raki tekketbi Rakum tekketbu3rd m kteb ketbu yekteb yekketbu Rayeḥ yekteb Rayḥin yekketbu Rah yekteb Rahum yekketbu3rd f ketbet ketbu tekteb yekketbu Rayḥa tekteb Rayḥin yekketbu Raha tekteb Rahum yekketbuFuture tense edit Speakers generally do not use the future tense above Used instead is the present tense or present continuous Also as is used in all of the other Arabic dialects there is another way of showing active tense The form changes the root verb into an adjective For example kteb he wrote becomes kateb Negation edit Main article Negation in Arabic Like all North African Arabic varieties including Egyptian Arabic along with some Levantine Arabic varieties verbal expressions are negated by enclosing the verb with all its affixes along with any adjacent pronoun suffixed preposition within the circumfix ma s ʃ leebt I played ma leebt s ʃ I didn t play ma tṭabbaeni s Don t push me ma yṭawlu l ek s hadu le qraei Those bottles won t last you long ma sibt s plaṣa I couldn t get a seat parking place Person Past Present Future Present continuousSingular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural1st m ma ktebt s ma ktebna s ma nekteb s ma nekketbu s ma Rayeḥ s nekteb ma Rayḥin s nekketbu ma Rani s nekteb ma Rana s nekketbu2st f ma ktebt s ma ktebna s ma nekteb s ma nekketbu s ma Rayḥa s nekteb ma Rayḥin s nekketbu ma Rani s nekteb ma Rana s nekketbu2nd m ma ketbt s ma ktebtu s ma tekteb s ma tekketbu s ma Rayeḥ s tekteb ma Rayḥin s tekketbu ma Rak s tekteb ma Rakum s tekketbu2rd f ma ktebti s ma ktebtu s ma tekketbi s ma tekketbu s ma Rayḥa s tekketbi ma Rayḥin s tekketbu ma Raki s tekketbi ma Rakum s tekketbu3rd m ma kteb s ma ketbu s ma yekteb s ma yekketbu s ma Rayeḥ s yekteb ma Rayḥin s yekketbu ma Rah s yekteb ma Rahum s yekketbu3rd f ma ketbet s ma ketbu s ma tekteb s ma yekketbu s ma Rayḥa s tekteb ma Rayḥin s yekketbu ma Raha s tekteb ma Rahum s yekketbuOther negative words walu etc are used in combination with ma to express more complex types of negation ʃ is not used when other negative words are used ma qult walu I didn t say anything ma suft tta waḥed I didn t see anyone or when two verbs are consecutively in the negative ma suft ma smeet I neither saw nor did I hear Verb derivation edit Verb derivation is done by adding affixes or by doubling consonants there are two types of derivation forms causative passive Causative is obtained by doubling consonants xrej to go out xerrej to make to go out dxel to enter dexxel to make to enter to introduce dd Passive It is obtained by prefixing the verb with t tt tn n qtel to kill tneqtel to be killed sreb to drink tnesreb to be drunk dd The adverbs of location edit Things could be in three places hnaya right here hna here or el hih there Pronouns edit Personal pronouns edit Most Algerian Arabic dialects have eight personal pronouns since they no longer have gender differentiation of the second and third person in the plural forms However pre Hilalian dialects retain seven personal pronouns since gender differentiation of the second person in the singular form is absent as well Person Singular Plural1st ana ḥna2nd m n ta n tuma2nd f n ti n tuma3rd m huwwa huma3rd f hiyya humaExample ḥatta ana ana tani Me too Person Algerian ArabicI am raniYou are m rakYou are f rakiHe is rah or RahuShe is Rahi or RahaWe are ranaYou or Y all are raku or rakum m and f They are rahum m and f Example Rani hna I m here and Was rak How are you to both males and females Possessive pronouns edit Dar means house Person Singular Plural1st i Dari na Darna 2nd e k Dar e k kum Darkum 3rd m u Daru h um Dar h um 3rd f ha Darha hum Dar h um Example dar na Our house House our Possessives are frequently combined with tae of property dar tae na Our house dar tae kum etc Singular tae i my or minetae ek your or yours m f tae u histae ha hersPlural tae na our or ourstae kum your or yours m f tae hum their or theirs m f Our house can be Darna or Dar tae na which is more like saying house of ours Tae can be used in other ways just like in English in Spanish You can say Dar tae khuya which means house of my brother or my brother s house Interrogative pronouns edit Interrogatives Algerian ArabicWhat was When waqtas wektas wektah wekket Why 3lah 3las llah Which was men as men ama Where win Who skun menhu How kifas kifah ki How many sḥal qeddas gueddas gueddah Whose tae men Verbal pronouns edit Person Singular Plural1st ni na2nd m e k kum3rd m u after a consonant h after a vowel hu before an indirect object pronoun hum3rd f ha humExamples suft ni You saw me You saw me qetl u He killed him He killed him kla h He ate it He ate it Demonstratives edit Unlike Classical Arabic Algerian Arabic has no dual and uses the plural instead The demonstrative Hadi is also used for it is Interrogatives Algerian Arabic EmphasizedThis had m hadi f hada hadaya m hadiyya f That dak m dik f hadak m hadik f These hadu hadumaThose duk hadukSample text editAuguste Moulieras s Les fourberies de si Djeh a The text below was translated from Kabyle language 18 Buzelluf Sheep HeadWaħed en nhar jħa med lu baba h frank bas yesri buzelluf Sra h w kla gagħ leħm u Bqa gir legħdem jab u l baba h Ki saf u qal lu was hada Qal lu buzelluf A smata win rahi wedn u Kan tgħres Win rahum għini h Kan għma Win rah lsan u Kan bekkus U el jelda tagħ ras u win rahi Kan fertgħas One day Jha s father gave him one cent so he buys a sheep head He bought it and ate all of its meat Only an empty carcass was left He brought it to his father Then when he saw it he said what is that Jehha said a sheep head You vile where are its ears It was deaf Where are its eyes It was blind Where is its tongue It was mute And the skin of its head where is it It was bald French loanwords editAlgerian Arabic contains numerous French loanwords Algerian Arabic French loanword English meaning Algerian Arabic French loanword English meaningfersiṭa fourchette fork por port portfriza fraises strawberries otel hotel hotelnurmalmu normalement normally frijider frigidaire refrigeratorkarṭa carte card bumba bombe bombbuja v bouger v move v atay the teafarina farine flour duntist dentiste dentisttilifun telephone phone sufur chauffeur drivervaliza valise suitcase paṣpur passport passporttrunspur transport transportation tunubil automobile carkazirna caserne barracks couzina cuisine kitchenfermli infirmier male nurse blaṣa plaṣa place place seatpyasa byasa piece piece sarji v charger v load v karti quartier district jerda jardin gardengirra guerre war riska v risquer v risk v g kravaṭa cravate tie zigu egout sewermikru micro ordinateur computer kadre cadre frameriẓu reseau network ridu rideau curtainṭabla table table biyyi billet ticketvista veste jacket bulisiyya police policekaskiṭa casquette cap balona ballon ballmakiyaj maquillage makeup antik antique old v verbSee also edit nbsp Algeria portal nbsp Africa portal nbsp Languages portalVarieties of Arabic Maghrebi Arabic Moroccan Arabic Tunisian Arabic Hassaniya Arabic Libyan Arabic Languages of Algeria Belkassem Ben SediraReferences edit a b Algerian Arabic at Ethnologue 26th ed 2023 nbsp Algeria Languages Britannica www britannica com Retrieved 2023 04 12 Elimam Abdou 2009 Du Punique au Maghribi Trajectoires d une langue semito mediterraneenne PDF Synergies Tunisie Martin Haspelmath Uri Tadmor 22 December 2009 Loanwords in the World s Languages A Comparative Handbook Walter de Gruyter p 195 ISBN 978 3 11 021844 2 Wexler Paul 2012 02 01 The Non Jewish Origins of the Sephardic Jews State University of New York Press ISBN 978 1 4384 2393 7 Wehr Hans 2011 A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic Harrell Richard S 1966 Dictionary of Moroccan Arabic Arabic Algerian Spoken Ethnologue Retrieved 2016 02 25 Al Wer Enam Jong Rudolf 2017 Dialects of Arabic In Boberg Charles Nerbonne John Watt Dominic eds The Handbook of Dialectology Wiley p 525 doi 10 1002 9781118827628 ch32 ISBN 978 1 118 82755 0 OCLC 989950951 Rabeh Sbaa L algerien n est pas un dialecte c est une langue a part entiere Middle East Eye edition francaise in French Retrieved 2022 11 26 a b K Versteegh Dialects of Arabic Maghreb Dialects Archived 2015 07 15 at the Wayback Machine hteachmideast org The Eastern Hilal also includes central Tunisian Bedouin dialects The Central Hilal also includes Algerian Saharan Arabic The Maqil family of dialects also includes Moroccan Bedouin Arabic dialects and Hassaniya Those of the Oranais are similar to those of eastern Morocco Oujda area D Caubet Questionnaire de dialectologie du Maghreb Archived 2013 11 12 at the Wayback Machine in EDNA vol 5 2000 2001 pp 73 92 a b c d e f g Harrat Salima et al 2016 11 03 An Algerian Dialect Study and Resources PDF HAL Archives p 390 Retrieved 2019 01 29 a b c d Souag Lameen 2020 01 29 Description of Algerian Arabic Rosetta Project Retrieved 2020 01 29 a b c d e f Guerrero Jairo 2014 01 01 A Phonetical Sketch of The Arabic Dialect Spoken in Oran Northwestern Algeria Academia Retrieved 2020 02 13 Bellagh M A 1987 Auguste Moulieras Les fourberies de Si Djeh fa Contes Kabyles Horizons Maghrebins Le droit a la memoire 11 1 102 103 nbsp Algerian Arabic test of Wikipedia at Wikimedia Incubator Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Algerian Arabic amp oldid 1187671953, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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