Sounds
Riffian's most noticeable differences from other Berber dialects are that:
- /l/ in other dialects corresponds to ⟨ř⟩ in Riffian (example: ul (heart) → uř )
- /ll/ (geminate /lː/) in other dialects corresponds to ⟨ǧǧ⟩ (/dː͡ʒ/) in Riffian (example: yelli (my daughter) → yeǧǧi ).
- /lt/ in other dialects corresponds to ⟨č⟩ (/t͡ʃ/) in Riffian (example: weltma (my sister) → wečma ).
The above mentioned variations don't apply the Riffian sub-dialects of "Ikebdanen" and "Iznasen".
| Riffian letter | Riffian word | The word in other Berber dialects | meaning in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ř ř | uř | ul | heart |
| aɣyuř | aɣyul | donkey | |
| awař | awal | speech / talk | |
| Ǧ ǧ | azeǧǧif | azellif | head |
| yeǧǧa | yella | (he) is / (he) exists | |
| ajeǧǧid | ajellid | king | |
| Č č | wečma | weltma | my sister |
| tacemřač | tacemlalt | blonde / white | |
| taɣyuč | taɣyult | female donkey (jenny) |
- postvocalic /r/ preceding a consonantal coda is dropped, as in taddart (house/home) → taddaat. Thus in tamara the /r/ is conserved because it precedes a vowel.
- /k/ usually becomes /ʃ/, while in some local sub-accents it is merely softened.
- Additionally, the initial masculine a- prefix is dropped in certain words, e.g., afus (hand) becomes fus, and afighar (snake) becomes fighar. This change, characteristic of Zenati Berber varieties, further distances Riffian from neighbouring dialects such as Atlas-Tamazight and Shilha.
- "Tarifit" or "Tarifiyt" is often pronounced as .
Read more about this topic: Riffian Language
Famous quotes containing the word sounds:
“These were the sounds that issued from the wigwams of this country before Columbus was born; they have not yet died away; and, with remarkably few exceptions, the language of their forefathers is still copious enough for them. I felt that I stood, or rather lay, as near to the primitive man of America, that night, as any of its discoverers ever did.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“half-way up the hill, I see the Past
Lying beneath me with its sounds and sights,—
A city in the twilight dim and vast,
With smoking roofs, soft bells, and gleaming lights,—
And hear above me on the autumnal blast
The cataract of Death far thundering from the heights.”
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1809–1882)
“Dylan used to sound like a lung cancer victim singing Woody Guthrie. Now he sounds like a Rolling Stone singing Immanuel Kant.”
—Also quoted in Robert Shelton, No Direction Home, ch. 2, “Prophet Without Honor” (1986)