| Nafusi | |
|---|---|
| Ažbali;[1] Mazoɣ / Maziɣ[2] (Nafusi) | |
| Native to | Libya |
| Region | Nafusa Mountains |
Native speakers | 300,000 (2020)[3] |
| Dialects |
|
| Arabic script | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | jbn |
| Glottolog | nafu1238 |
Nafusi (also spelt Nefusi; in Nafusi: Ažbali / Maziɣ / Mazoɣ or Tanfust) is a Berber language spoken in the Nafusa Mountains (Adrar 'n Infusen), a large area in northwestern Libya. Its primary speakers are the Ibadi communities around Jadu, Nalut (Lalut) and Yafran.[3]
The dialect of Yefren in the east differs somewhat from that of Nalut and Jadu in the west.[4] A number of Old Nafusi phrases appear in Ibadite manuscripts as early as the 12th century.[5][6]
The dialect of Jadu is described in some detail in Beguinot (1931).[7] Motylinski (1898) describes the dialect of Jadu and Nalut as spoken by a student from Yefren.[8]
Nafusi shares several innovations with the Zenati languages, but unlike these other Berber varieties it maintains prefix vowels before open syllables. For example, ufəs "hand" < *afus, rather than Zenati fus. It appears especially closely related to Sokni and Siwi to its east.[9]
- ^ Provasi (1973:503)
- ^ Beguinot (1931:220)
- ^ a b Nafusi at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)
- ^ Beguinot (1931:VIII)
- ^ Lewicki (1934:277)
- ^ Basset (1934:298)
- ^ Beguinot (1931)
- ^ de Calassanti-Motylinski (1898:1)
- ^ Kossmann (1999:29–33)
