View source for Tarifit

{{Short description|Zenati Berber language of northern Morocco}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Tarifit
| altname          = Riffian, Tarifiyt
| nativename       = Tmaziɣt<br/>ⵜⴰⵔⵉⴼⵉⵜ<br/>الريفية<br/>
| pronunciation    = {{IPA|ber|θmæzɪχt|}}
| states           = Northern [[Morocco]], [[Melilla]]
| region           = [[Rif|Rif Mountains]]
| ethnicity        = [[Riffians]]
| speakers         = {{sigfig|1.200000|2}} million
| date             = 2024
| ref              = <ref name="RGPH 2024">{{Cite web |last=Gauthier |first=Christophe |title=كلمة افتتاحية للسيد المندوب السامي للتخطيط بمناسبة الندوة الصحفية الخاصة بتقديم معطيات الإحصاء العام للسكان والسكنى 2024 |url=https://www.hcp.ma/%D9%83%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%AA%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%AD%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%8A-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%B7%D9%8A%D8%B7-%D8%A8%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%A8%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%A9_a4025.html |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=Site institutionnel du Haut-Commissariat au Plan du Royaume du Maroc |language=fr}}</ref>
| familycolor      = Afro-Asiatic
| fam2             = [[Berber languages|Berber]]
| fam3             = [[Northern Berber languages|Northern]]
| fam4             = [[Zenati languages|Zenati]]
| script           = [[Latin alphabet|Latin]],<ref name=":0" /> [[Tifinagh]],<ref name=":0" /> [[Arabic script|Arabic]]<ref name=":0" />
| iso3             = rif
| glotto           = tari1263
| glottorefname    = Tarifiyt-Beni-Iznasen-Eastern Middle Atlas Berber
| map              = Riffian Language Map.PNG
| mapcaption       = 
}}
'''Tarifit''' ({{langx|rif|Tmaziɣt, ⵜⴰⵔⵉⴼⵉⵜ|italics=yes}}, {{IPA|ber|θmæzɪχt|pron}}; {{langx|ar|الريفية|ar-rīfīyah}}), also known as '''Riffian''',  is a [[Zenati languages|Zenati Berber language]] spoken in the [[Rif]] region in northern [[Morocco]]. It is spoken natively by some 1,200,000<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maaroufi |first=Youssef |title=Recensement général de la population et de l'habitat 2004 |url=https://www.hcp.ma/Recensement-general-de-la-population-et-de-l-habitat-2004_a633.html |access-date=2022-06-02 |website=Site institutionnel du Haut-Commissariat au Plan du Royaume du Maroc |language=fr |archive-date=5 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110705120730/http://www.hcp.ma/Recensement-general-de-la-population-et-de-l-habitat-2004_a633.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Population légale des régions, provinces, préfectures, municipalités, arrondissements et communes du Royaume d'après les résultats du RGPH 2014|url=https://rgph2014.hcp.ma/file/166326/|location=Morocco|agency=[[Haut Commissariat au Plan]]|format=Xls|access-date=15 February 2016}}</ref> [[Riffians]], comprising 3.2% of the population of Morocco,<ref name="RGPH 2024">{{Cite web |last=Gauthier |first=Christophe |title=كلمة افتتاحية للسيد المندوب السامي للتخطيط بمناسبة الندوة الصحفية الخاصة بتقديم معطيات الإحصاء العام للسكان والسكنى 2024 |url=https://www.hcp.ma/%D9%83%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%AA%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%AD%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%8A-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%B7%D9%8A%D8%B7-%D8%A8%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%A8%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%A9_a4025.html |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=Site institutionnel du Haut-Commissariat au Plan du Royaume du Maroc |language=fr}}</ref> primarily in the [[Rif]] provinces of [[Nador Province|Nador]], [[Al Hoceïma Province|Al Hoceima]] and [[Driouch Province|Driouch]].

== Name ==
The traditional autonym of the language is Tmaziɣt (Tamazight), a term that is widely used, albeit in different forms, among Berber speaking groups all over northern Africa. Tarifiyt (pronounced Tarifect in central dialects), as a linguistic term, is a new coinage, developed when it became more and more relevant to distinguish it from other Berber varieties.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |author1=Maarten Kossmann |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZDxrzQEACAAJ |title=An introduction to Tarifiyt Berber (Nador, Morocco) |author2=Khalid Mourigh |publisher=Ugarit Verlag |year=2020 |isbn=9783868353075}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite book|author1=Mena Lafkioui|title=Atlas linguistique des variétés berbères du Rif|publisher=Rüdiger Köppe Verlag|isbn=978-3-89645-395-2|year=2007}}</ref>

== Classification ==
[[File:WIKITONGUES- Anass speaking Tarifit.webm|thumb|Young man speaking Riffian Berber, recorded in [[Cuba]].]]
Riffian is a [[Zenati languages|Zenati Berber language]]<ref name=e18>{{Ethnologue18|rif}}</ref> which consists of various sub-dialects specific to each clan and of which a majority are spoken in the [[Rif]] region, a large mountainous area of Northern [[Morocco]], and a minority spoken in the western part of neighbouring [[Algeria]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Destaing |first1=Edmond |editor1-last=Leroux |editor1-first=Ernest |title=Etude sur le dialecte Berbère des Beni-Snous |date=1907 |url=https://archive.org/details/EtudeSurLeDialecteBerbereDesBeniSnous/ |language=French}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Biarnay |first1=Samuel |title=Étude sur les Bet'-t'ioua du Vieil-Arzeu |date=1910 |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/23893935/Bettiwa}}</ref>

== Geographic distribution ==
[[File:Percent of Tarifit speakers in Morocco by census 2004.png|thumb|Percent of Rif-Berber speakers in Morocco by census 2004 Based on data found Here [http://www.hcp.ma/Recensement-general-de-la-population-et-de-l-habitat-2004_a633.html]]]
Riffian is spoken mainly in the Moroccan [[Rif]] on the Mediterranean coast and in the Rif mountains, with a large minority in the Spanish [[autonomous city]] of [[Melilla]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lukor.com/not-esp/locales/0412/03150841.htm |title=CpM moción regular Tamazight Melilla tomando ejemplo Bable Asturias |date=14 April 2010 |access-date=7 March 2017 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100414121319/http://www.lukor.com/not-esp/locales/0412/03150841.htm |archive-date=14 April 2010 }}</ref> There are also speakers of Riffian in Morocco outside the Rif region, notably in the rest of Moroccan cities where they compose a minority. The neighbour state of [[Algeria]] is also home to Rif minorities. A Riffian-speaking community exists in the [[Netherlands]] and [[Belgium]] as well as to a lesser extent other European countries.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gazzah |first=Miriam |title=Rhythms and Rhymes of Life: Music and Identification Processes of Dutch-Moroccan Youth |date=2008 |publisher=Amsterdam University Press |isbn=978-90-485-0649-1 |series=ISIM Dissertations |location=Amsterdam |pages=12 |quote=It is estimated that roughly 60 to 80 % of the Moroccans in the Netherlands trace their roots back to the mountainous Rif area (Benali and Obdeijn 2005: 211) and speak a Berber language (Douwes et al. 2005: 29). [...] This has produced a rather heterogeneous Dutch-Moroccan population, which consists of Moroccan Berbers and non-Berbers, some speaking a Berber language and Moroccan-Arabic (and Dutch), others speaking only a Berber language (and Dutch), and later generations only speaking Dutch (Chafik 2004: 129). [...] The Berbers from the Rif speak Tarifit.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Mourigh |first1=Khalid |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZDxrzQEACAAJ |title=An Introduction to Tarifiyt Berber (Nador, Morocco) |last2=Kossmann |first2=Maarten |date=2019 |publisher=Ugarit-Verlag |isbn=978-3-86835-307-5 |pages=12 |language=en |quote=According to the most recent census data, Tarifiyt is spoken by 4.0 % of the Moroccan population, which amounts to about 1.35 million people. One may add to this number sizeable communities outside Morocco, especially in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Spain.}}</ref>

=== Morocco ===
There is a large amount of dialectal variation in Riffian Berber; this can easily be seen using the dialect Atlas (Lafkioui, 1997), however Riffian compose a single language with its own phonetical innovations distinct from other [[Berber languages]]. Majority of them are spoken in Northern Morocco, this includes the varieties of [[Al Hoceima]], [[Temsamane]], [[Nador]], Ikbadene (including Iznasen) and the more southernly variety in the [[Taza]] province. Besides Riffian, two other related and smaller Berber languages are spoken in North Morocco: the [[Sanhaja de Srair language|Sanhaja de Srair]] and the [[Ghomara language|Ghomara]] languages. They are only distantly related to Riffian and are not mutually intelligible with it.<ref name=":1" />

=== Algeria ===
[[File:Berbères en Algérie occidentale.svg|thumb|Linguistic map of western Algeria showing Berber-speaking areas, including Riffian cluster of Bettioua, Marsa Ben-Mhidi, Aït Snous and Aït Bousaïd]]
A few Riffian dialects are or used to be in the western part of [[Algeria]], notably by the Beni Snouss tribe of the Tlemcen, as well in [[Bethioua]] but also in various colonial districts Riffians started to emigrate to since the 19th century.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Destaing |first1=Edmond |editor1-last=Leroux |editor1-first=Ernest |title=Etude sur le dialecte Berbère des Beni-Snous |date=1907 |url=https://archive.org/details/EtudeSurLeDialecteBerbereDesBeniSnous/ |language=French}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Biarnay |first1=Samuel |title=Étude sur les Bet'-t'ioua du Vieil-Arzeu |date=1910 |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/23893935/Bettiwa}}</ref>

== Dialects ==
[[File:Riffian dialectal groups.png|thumb|Riffian dialectal groups according to Mena B. Lafkioui]]
There is no consensus on what varieties are considered Riffian and not, the difference of opinion mainly lie in the easternmost dialects of the [[Iznasen Berber|Iznasen]] and the westernmost dialects of [[Senhaja de Srair|Senhaja de Sraïr]] and Ketama.<ref name=":1" /> Dialects include West-Riffian (Al Hoceima), Central-Riffian (Nador) and East-Riffian (Berkane). [[Iznasen Berber|Iznasen]] (Beni Znassen) is counted as a dialect in Kossman (1999), but Blench (2006) classifies it as one of the closely related [[Mzab–Wargla languages]].

Lafkioui (2020) argues that the Berber varieties of the Rif area (North, Northwest, and Northeast Morocco), – including the varieties of the Senhaja (westernmost group) and of the Iznasen (easternmost group) – form a language continuum with 5 stable core aggregates:
*Western Rif Berber: cities such as Ketama and Taghzout.
*West-Central Rif Berber: cities such as Al Hoceima, Targuist, Imzouren.
*Central Rif Berber: cities such as Nador, Midar and Kassita.
*East-Central Rif Berber: cities such as Al Aaroui, Driouch and Ain Zohra.
*Eastern Rif Berber: cities such as Berkane and Ras Kebdana.

They cut across the traditionally used groupings of Senhaja, Rif, Iznasen which are in fact ethnonyms and hold no classification value of any kind, neither do they correspond to the sociolinguistic landscape of the Rif area, which shows considerable complexity.<ref>{{cite web |last1=B. Lafkioui |first1=Mena |title=Rif Berber: From Senhaja to Iznasen. A qualitative and quantitative approach to classification |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344193140 |website=ResearchGate |publisher=Mena B. Lafkioui |access-date=26 November 2024}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" 
|+ Lexical differences<ref name=":1" />
|-
! 
! Western 
! West-Central
! Central
! East-Central
! Eastern
|- style="text-align:center;"
!Cat
| amcic || amcic || mucc || miccew || mucc
|- style="text-align:center;"
!Chick
| asiwsiw, afullus || afiǧus, fiǧus || fiǧus || iceḵʷcew, icewcew || iceḵʷcew, icewcew
|- style="text-align:center;"
!Ram
| abeɛɛac || abeɛɛac, iḵerri, iḵaari || icaari, acaari, acraa || iḵaari, aḵraa || iḵerri
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Land
| tamazirt || tamurt, tamuat || tammuat || tammuat, tamuat || tammurt
|- style="text-align:center;"
!Woman
| tameṭut, tamɣert || tamɣert, tamɣaat || tamɣaat, tameṭṭut, tameṭut || tamɣaat, tameṭut || tamɣert, tameṭṭut, tameṭut
|}

== Phonology ==
=== Vowels ===
{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
!
![[Front vowel|Front]]
![[Central vowel|Central]]
![[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
![[High vowel|High]]
|{{IPA link|i}}
|
|{{IPA link|u}}
|-
![[Mid vowel|Mid]]
|
|({{IPA link|ə}})
|
|-
![[Low vowel|Low]]
|
|{{IPA link|a}}
|
|}

* A mid-central vowel /ə/ can occur in lax positions.
* Lax allophones of /i, a, u/ are heard as [ɪ, æ, ʊ].
* In the vicinity of pharyngealized consonants, /i, a, u/ are heard as [ɪˤ, ɑˤ, ʊˤ].
* Vowels lengthen in closed final syllables, e.g. tisit [θɪsɪˑθ] 'mirror'.

==== Vocalized r<ref name=":1" /> ====

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! colspan="2" | Vocalization
! colspan="3" | Example
|-
! Phonemically
! Phonetically
! IPA
! Originally
! Translation
|-
| {{IPA|/iɾ/}}
| {{IPA|[ɛa]}}
| {{IPA|[sːɛað]}}
| ss<u>ir</u>d
| to wash
|-
| {{IPA|/uɾ/}}
| {{IPA|[ɔa]}}
| {{IPA|[ʊjɔa]}}
| uy<u>ur</u>
| to walk
|-
| {{IPA|/aɾ/}}
| {{IPA|[a ~ æ]}}
| {{IPA|[zəmːa ~ æ]}}
| zemm<u>ar</u>
| to be able to
|-
| {{IPA|/iɾˤ/}}
| {{IPA|[ɪˤɑ]}}
| {{IPA|[ɪˤɑðˤ]}}
| <u>iṛ</u>ḍ
| to dress
|-
| {{IPA|/uɾˤ/}}
| {{IPA|[ʊˤa]}}
| {{IPA|[ʃːʊˤa]}}
| cc<u>uṛ</u>
| to fill
|-
| {{IPA|/aɾˤ/}}
| {{IPA|[ɑˤ]}}
| {{IPA|[θɑˤmɣɑˤθ]}}
| tamɣ<u>aṛ</u>t
| woman
|}

=== Consonants ===
All consonants except for /ŋ/, /tʃ/ and /ʔ/ have a geminate counterpart. Most of the time, a geminate is only different from its plain counterpart because of its length. Spirantized consonants have long stops as their geminate counterparts, e.g. yezḏeɣ {{IPA|ber|jəzðəʁ|}} 'he lives' vs. izeddeɣ {{IPA|ber|ɪzədːəʁ|}} 'he always lives'. There are only a few phonotactic exceptions to this, e.g. in verb suffixes before vowel-initial clitics, ṯessfehmeḏḏ-as {{IPA|ber|θəsːfəɦməðːæs|}}. A few consonants have divergent geminated counterparts; ḍ (/dˤ/ and /ðˤ/) to ṭṭ (/tˤː/), w (/w/) to kkʷ (/kːʷ/), ɣ (/ʁ/) to qq (/qː/), and ř (/r/) to ǧ (/dʒː/). There are some exceptions to this. This is most common with ww, e.g. acewwaf {{IPA|ber|æʃəwːæf|}} 'hair', and rarely occurs with ɣɣ and ḍḍ e.g. iɣɣed {{IPA|ber|ɪʁːəð|}} 'ashes', weḍḍaạ {{IPA|ber|wədˤːɑˤ|}} 'to be lost'. /dʒ/ and /dʒː/ are allophonic realizations of the same phoneme, both are common.<ref name=":0" />
{|class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
|+Consonants (Iqeřɛiyen variety)<ref name=":0" />
|-class="wikitable"
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |
! colspan="2" |[[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! colspan="2" |[[Dental consonant|Dental]]
! colspan="2" |[[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! colspan="2" |[[Postalveolar consonant|Post-<br>alveolar]]
! rowspan="2" |[[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! colspan="2" |[[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! rowspan="2" |[[Uvular consonant|Uvular]]
! rowspan="2" |[[Pharyngeal consonant|Pharyngeal]]
! rowspan="2" |[[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
!<small>plain</small>
!<small>[[Pharyngealized consonant|phar.]]</small>
!<small>plain</small>
!<small>[[Pharyngealized consonant|phar.]]</small>
!<small>plain</small>
!<small>[[Pharyngealized consonant|phar.]]</small>
!<small>plain</small>
!<small>[[Pharyngealized consonant|phar.]]</small>
!<small>plain</small>
!<small>[[Labialized consonant|lab.]]</small>
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
|{{IPA link|m}}
|
|
|
|{{IPA link|n}}
|
|
|
|
|{{IPA link|ŋ}}
|
|
|
|
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[Stop consonant|Plosive]]
! style="text-align: left; font-size: 80%;" |[[Voiceless consonant|voiceless]]
|{{IPA link|p}}
|{{IPA link|pˤ}}
|
|
|{{IPA link|t}}
|{{IPA link|tˤ}}
|{{IPA link|tʃ}}
|
|
|{{IPA link|k}}
|{{IPA link|kːʷ}}
|{{IPA link|q}}
|
|{{IPA link|ʔ}}
|-
! style="text-align: left; font-size: 80%;" |[[Voiced consonant|voiced]]
|{{IPA link|b}}
|
|
|
|{{IPA link|d}}
|{{IPA link|dˤ}}
|{{IPA link|dʒ}}
|
|
|{{IPA link|g}}
|{{IPA link|gːʷ}}
|
|
|
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
! style="text-align: left; font-size: 80%;" |[[Voiceless consonant|voiceless]]
|{{IPA link|f}}
|
|{{IPA link|θ}}
|
|{{IPA link|s}}
|{{IPA link|sˤ}}
|{{IPA link|ʃ}}
|{{IPA link|ʃˤ}}
|{{IPA link|ç}}
| colspan="3" |{{IPA link|x}} ~ {{IPA link|χ}}
|{{IPA link|ħ}}
|
|-
! style="text-align: left; font-size: 80%;" |[[Voiced consonant|voiced]]
|{{IPA link|β}}
|
|{{IPA link|ð}}
|{{IPA link|ðˤ}}
|{{IPA link|z}}
|{{IPA link|zˤ}}
|{{IPA link|ʒ}}
|
|({{IPA link|ʝ}})
| colspan="3" |{{IPA link|ɣ}} ~ {{IPA link|ʁ}}
|{{IPA link|ʕ}}
|{{IPA link|ɦ}}
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
|
|
|
|
|{{IPA link|l}}
|{{IPA link|lˤ}}
|
|
|{{IPA link|j}}
|
|{{IPA link|w}}
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Flap consonant|Flap]]
|
|
|
|
|{{IPA link|ɾ}}
|{{IPA link|ɾˤ}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Trill consonant|Trill]]
|
|
|
|
|{{IPA link|r}}
|{{IPA link|rˤ}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|}

Notes:
* /ʝ/ has become /j/ in most of Central Riffian e.g. ayenduz {{IPA|ber|æjəndʊz|}} instead of aɡ̠enduz {{IPA|ber|æʝəndʊz|}} 'calf'.
* /ç/ has mostly become /ʃ/ in Central Riffian and only occurs in a few words, e.g. seḵsu {{IPA|ber|səçsʊ|}} '[[couscous]]'.
* Pharyngealization is a spreading feature, it may spread to a whole word.
* The only pharyngealized consonants common in Berber roots are /dˤ/, /ðˤ/, /zˤ/ and /rˤ/; the others seem to mainly occur in words of Arabic and Spanish origin.
* /ʃˤ/ seems to only occur in the nouns ucca {{IPA|ber|ʊˤʃˤ:ɑˤ|}} 'greyhound' and mucc {{IPA|ber|mʊˤʃˤ:|}} 'cat'.
* /ŋ/ occurs exclusively before the consonant /w/, it may be an assimilatory variant of n.
* Labialization only occurs with the geminates /kːʷ/ and /gːʷ/.

==== Assimilations ====
There are quite a few assimilations that occur with the feminine suffixes t and ṯ.<ref name=":0" />

:ḇ + ṯ = fṯ/ft (e.g. tajeǧeft < tajeǧeḇṯ 'gown/djellaba')
:z + ṯ = sṯ/st (e.g. talwist < talwizṯ 'gold coin')
:ẓ + ṯ = ṣṯ/ṣt (e.g. tayạạẓiṣt < tayạạẓiẓṯ 'hare')
:j + ṯ = cṯ/ct (e.g. taɛejjact < taɛejjajṯ 'dust')
:ɣ + ṯ = xṯ/xt (e.g. tmazixt < tmaziɣt 'Berber language')
:ɛ + ṯ = ḥṯ/ḥt (e.g. tqubeḥt < tqubeɛṯ 'little bird')

There are also other assimilations.

:ḏ + ṯ = tt (e.g. tabritt < tabriḏṯ 'path')
:d + ṯ = tt (e.g. a t-tawi < a d-ṯawi 'she will bring here')
:ḍ + ṯ = ṭṭ (e.g. tyaẓiṭṭ < tyaẓiḍṯ 'hen')
:m + ṯ = nt (e.g. taxxant < taxxamṯ 'small room')
:ř + ṯ = č (e.g. tameǧač < tameǧařṯ 'egg')

Spirantized consonants become stops after the consonant 'n', this occurs between words as well.

:qqimen da < qqimen ḏa 'they sit here'
:tilifun tameqqṛant < tilifun ṯameqqṛant 'the big phone'

=== Sound shifts ===

====Zenati sound shifts====
The initial masculine ''a-'' prefix is dropped in certain words, e.g., afus 'hand' becomes ''fus'', and afiɣaṛ 'snake' becomes ''fiɣạṛ''. This change, characteristic of [[Zenati languages|Zenati]] Berber varieties, distances Riffian from neighbouring dialects such as [[Central Morocco Tamazight|Atlas-Tamazight]] and [[Shilha language|Shilha]].<ref name=":1" />

==== L and ř ====
In the history of Western and Central Riffian /l/ has become /r/ in a lot of words. In most dialects there is no difference in this consonant (ř) and in original r, but in some dialects it is more clearly distinguished by the fact that ř is trilled while r is a tap. The difference becomes clearer when they are preceded by a vowel, because only original r has a heightening effect on the vowel preceding it e.g. aři [æɾɪ] vs ari [aɾɪ]. This sound shift has affected other consonants as well.

* {{IPAslink|l}} in other dialects corresponds to 'ř' (/{{IPA link|r}}/) in Riffian (e.g. ''ul'' > ''uř'' 'heart')
* The geminate equivalent, ({{IPAslink|l|lː}}) in other dialects corresponds to 'ǧ' (/{{IPA link|dʒː}}/) in Riffian (e.g. ''yelli'' > ''yeǧi'' 'my daughter'). It is underlyingly řř.
* {{IPA|/lt/}} in other dialects corresponds to 'č' ({{IPAslink|tʃ}}) in Riffian (e.g. ''weltma'' > ''wečma'' 'my sister'). It is underlyingly řt.

These sound shifts do not occur in the easternmost Riffian dialects of Icebdanen and Iznasen and the westernmost dialects.<ref name=":1" />

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! '''Riffian letter''' || Riffian word || Original word || English meaning
|-
| rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;"| <big>Ř ř</big>
| uř || ul || heart
|-
| aɣyuř || aɣyul || donkey
|-
| awař || awal || speech / word
|-
| rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;"| <big>Ǧ ǧ</big>
| azeǧif || azellif || head
|-
| yeǧa || yella || he is / he exists
|-
| ajeǧid || ajellid || king
|-
| rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;"| <big>Č č</big>
| wečma || weltma || my sister
|-
| tacemřač || tacemlalt || blonde / white
|-
| taɣyuč || taɣyult || female donkey (jenny)
|}

==== R vocalization ====
Postvocalic {{IPAslink|r}} preceding a consonantal coda is vocalized, as in taddart > taddaat 'house/home'. Thus in tamara 'hard work/misery' the {{IPAslink|r}} is conserved because it precedes a vowel. These sound shifts do not occur in the easternmost Riffian dialects of Icebdanen and Iznasen and the westernmost dialects beyond Ayt Waayaɣeř.<ref name=":1" />

==Writing system==
Like other Berber languages, Riffian has been written with several different systems over the years. Unlike the nearby [[Tashelhit]] (Shilha), Riffian Berber has little written literature before the twentieth century. The first written examples of Riffian Berber start appearing just before the colonial period. Texts like R. Basset (1897) and S. Biarnay (1917) are transcribed in the Latin alphabet but they are transcribed in a rather deficient way. Most recently (since 2003), [[Tifinagh]] has become official throughout Morocco. The [[Arabic script]] is not used anymore for writing Riffian Berber. The [[Berber Latin alphabet]] continues to be the most used writing system online and in most publications in Morocco and abroad.<ref name=":0" />

== Grammar ==
===Nouns===
Tarifiyt has two genders, masculine and feminine. In countable nouns with Berber affixes, gender is derivative: in principle, every masculine noun has a feminine counterpart. Gender derivation is relatively straightforward. The feminine is derived from 
the masculine form  by adding an element /t-/ to the prefix, and a suffix /-t/, as in most [[Berber languages]]. With humans and higher animals, masculine and feminine mark natural gender,<ref name=":0" /> e.g.
:aḥenjia (M) 'boy' → taḥenjiat (F) 'girl'
:ayyaw (M) 'grandson' → tayyawt (F) 'granddaughter'
:asaadun (M) 'male mule' → tasaadunt (F) 'female mule'
:afunas (M) 'ox' → tafunast (F) 'cow'
For a few basic items there exist suppletive pairs, e.g. 
:aayaz (M) 'man' → tamɣaat (F) 'woman'
:amyan (M) 'he-goat' → tɣaṭṭ (F) 'she-goat'
:icarri (M) 'ram' → tixsi (F) 'ewe'
:yis (M) 'horse' → řɛawda (F) 'mare'

Tarifiyt 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,<ref name=":0" /> e.g.
:axxam (SG) 'room' → ixxamen (PL) 'rooms'
:tafunast (SG) 'cow' → tifunasin (PL) 'cows'
A few  nouns have suppletive plurals: 
:uma (SG) 'my brother' → ayetma (PL) 'my brothers'
:učma (SG) 'my sister' → issma (PL) 'my sisters'

Nouns with Berber affixes distinguish two forms, which are related to the syntactic context and function of the noun, "Free  State" and "Annexed State". The Annexed State is used for subjects placed after the verb, after all prepositions except ař and břa, as a posttopic put in extraposition to the central clause and after a few prenominal elements. The Annexed State is formed as follows: in masculines, initial /a/ becomes /we/ and initial /i/ becomes /ye/. In feminines, initial /ta/ usually becomes /te/ and initial /ti/ also usually becomes /te/,<ref name=":0" /> e.g.
:asnus → wesnus 'donkey foal (M)'
:tasnust → tesnust 'donkey foal (F)'
:isnas → yesnas 'donkey foals (M)'
:tisnas → tesnas 'donkey foal (F)'

In the Annexed State of the masculine, the high vowels u and i are used instead of the semivowels w and y when the noun stem starts with a consonant followed by a vowel (including schwa). The feminine AS prefix does not have schwa under this condition. This has to do with the constraint on schwa in open syllables,<ref name=":0" /> e.g.
:afunas → ufunas 'bull'
:tafunast → tfunast 'cow'
:ifunasen → ifunasen 'bulls'
:tifunasin → tfunasin 'cows'

==Lexicon==

=== Basic vocabulary<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite thesis |last=Serhoual |first=Mohammed |title=Dictionnaire tarifit-français |date=2002 |degree=PhD |publisher=Université Abdelmalk Essaidi |url=https://archive.org/details/108810785dictionnairetarifitfrancaismohamedserhoual2002}}</ref> ===
{|class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
|1 || water || {{Lang|rif|aman}} ([[plurale tantum]])
|-
|2 || nose || {{Lang|rif|tinzaa}} ([[plurale tantum]])
|-
|3 || to run || {{Lang|rif|azzeř}}
|-
|4 || fire || {{Lang|rif|timessi}}
|-
|5 || mouth || {{Lang|rif|aqemmum}}, {{Lang|rif|imi}}
|-
|6 || tongue || {{Lang|shi-latn|iřes}}
|-
|7 || meat || {{Lang|rif|aysum}} ~ {{Lang|rif|aksum}}
|-
|8 || bone || {{Lang|rif|iɣess}}
|-
|9 || clothes || {{Lang|rif|aṛṛud}}
|-
|10 || word || {{Lang|shi-latn|awař}}
|-
|11 || neck || {{Lang|rif|iri}}
|-
|12 || people || {{Lang|rif|iwdan}}
|-
|13 || why? || {{Lang|rif|mayemmi}}, {{Lang|rif|maɣaa}}
|-
|14 || to eat || {{Lang|rif|cc}}
|-
|15 || to cut || {{Lang|rif|qess}} ~ {{Lang|rif|qqes}}
|-
|15 || to be scared || {{Lang|rif|uggʷed}}
|-
|16 || cold || {{Lang|rif|aṣemmaḍ}}
|-
|17 || room || {{Lang|rif|axxam}}
|-
|18 || to write || {{Lang|rif|ari}}
|-
|19 || dog || {{Lang|rif|aqzin}}, {{Lang|rif|aydi}}
|-
|20 || when? || {{Lang|rif|meřmi}}
|-
|21 || to speak || {{Lang|rif|siweř}}
|-
|22 || cow || {{Lang|rif|afunas}}
|-
|}

=== Loanwords<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> ===
Tarifit has loaned a fair amount of its vocabulary from Arabic, Spanish and French.<ref>{{citation|last1=Kossmann|first1=Maarten|editor1-last=Haspelmath|editor1-first=Martin|editor2-last=Tadmor|editor2-first=Uri|title=Tarifiyt Berber|year=2009|publisher=Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology|url=https://wold.clld.org/vocabulary/6}}</ref> Around 51.7% of the vocabulary of Tarifit is estimated to have been borrowed (56.1% of nouns and 44.1% of verbs).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kossmann |first1=Maarten |title=Loanwords in Tarifiyt, a Berber language of Morocco |date=2009 |publisher=De Gruyter Mouton |isbn=9783110218435}}</ref> All loaned verbs follow Riffian conjugations, and some loaned nouns are Berberized as well. A lot of loans are not recognizable because of sound shifts that have undergone, e.g. ǧiřet {{IPA|ber|dʒːɪrəθ|}} 'night' ([[Arabic]]: al-layla), hřec {{IPA|ber|ɦrəʃ|}} 'sick' ([[Arabic]]: halaka).

==== Examples of words loaned from Classical/Moroccan Arabic ====
* ''ddenya'': 'world' (orig. ''al-dunyā'' {{lang|ar|الدنيا}})
* ''tayezzaat'': 'island' (orig. ''jazīra'' {{lang|ar|جزيرة}})
* ''řebḥaa'': 'ocean' (orig. ''al-baḥr'' {{lang|ar|البحر}})
* ''lwalidin'': 'parents' (orig. ''al-wālidayn'' {{lang|ar|الوالدين}})
* ''ḥseb'': 'to count' (orig. ''ḥasaba'' {{lang|ar|حسب}})

==== Examples of words loaned from Spanish ====
* {{lang|rif|familiya}}: 'family' (orig. {{lang|es|familia}})
* {{lang|rif|tpabut}}: 'duck' (orig. ''pavo'')
* {{lang|rif|ṣpiṭạạ}}: 'hospital' (orig. {{lang|es|hospital}})
* {{lang|rif|pṛubaa}}: 'to try' (orig. {{lang|es|probar}})
* {{lang|rif|arrimaa}}: 'to land' (orig. {{lang|es|arrimar}})

==== Examples of words loaned from French ====
* ''maamiṭa'': 'pot' (orig. ''marmite'')
* ''furciṭa'': 'fork' (orig. ''fourchette'')
* ''ṣuṣis'': 'sausage' (orig. ''saucisse'')
* ''fumaḍa'': 'cream' (orig. ''pommade'')
* ''jjarḍa'': 'garden' (orig. ''jardin'')

==== Examples of words loaned from Latin====
* ''faacu'': 'eagle' (orig. ''falco'')
* ''aqninni'': 'rabbit' (orig. ''cuniculus'')
* ''fiřu'': 'thread' (orig. ''filum'')
* ''aɣaṛṛabu'': 'boat' (orig. ''carabus'')
* ''asnus'': 'donkey foal' (orig. ''asinus'')

==Sample text==
From 'An introduction to Tarifiyt Berber (Nador, Morocco)' by Khalid Mourigh and Maarten Kossmann: ''Sirkuḷasyun (trafic)''<ref name=":0" />

{{interlinear|indent=2
|A: Ssalamuɛlikum.
|{{no gloss|A}}: peace.upon.you(PL)
|A: Hello.}}

{{interlinear|indent=3
|B: Waɛlikumssalam.
|{{no gloss|B}}: and.upon.you(PL).peace
|B: Hello.}}

{{interlinear|indent=2
|A: Teẓṛid lakṣiḍa-nni yewqɛen?
|{{no gloss|A}}: you(SG).saw  accident-that  happening
|A: Did you see the (car) crash that happened?}}

{{interlinear|indent=3
|B: Lla, sřiɣ xas waha.
|{{no gloss|B}}: no  i.heard  on.it  only
|B: No, I only heard about it.}}

{{interlinear|indent=2
|A: Tewqeɛ deggʷ brid n Wezɣenɣan.
|{{no gloss|A}}: it(F).happened  in  road(AS)  of  zeghanghane(AS)
|A: It happened on the Zeghanghane road.}}

{{interlinear|indent=3
|B: Wah, lakṣiḍa d tameqqṛant.
|{{no gloss|B}}: yes  accident  PRED  big(F:SG:FS)
|B: Yeah, it was a big (car) crash.}}

{{interlinear|indent=2
|A: Abrid ibelleɛ maṛṛa.
|{{no gloss|A}}: road(FS)  it.is.closed  all
|A: The whole road is closed.}}

{{interlinear|indent=3
|B: Immut din ca n yijjen?
|{{no gloss|B}}: he.died  there  some  of  one(M:AS)
|B: Did anybody die there?}}

{{interlinear|indent=2
|A: Wah, yemmut ijjen waayaz d mmi-s, msakin.
|{{no gloss|A}}: yes  he.died  one  man(AS)  and  son-his  poor.guys
|A: Yes, one man and his son died, the poor guys.}}

{{interlinear|indent=3
|B: Mamec temsaa?
|{{no gloss|B}}: how  it(F).happened
|B: How did it happen?}}

{{interlinear|indent=2
|A: Yesḥạạq ssṭupp uca tudef daysen ijjen ṭṭumubin.
|{{no gloss|A}}: he.burned  traffic.light  then  it(F).entered  in.them(M)  one  car
|A: He crossed the red light and then a car hit them.}}

{{interlinear|indent=3
|B: Tuɣa itazzeř ɛini. Iwa, a ten-yạạḥem sid-ạạbbi.
|{{no gloss|B}}: PAST  he.runs  probably  well  AD  them(M:DO)-he.has.mercy  sir-lord
|B: He was probably speeding. Well, may them rest in peace.}}

{{interlinear|indent=2
|A: Ttḥawař waha, din aṭṭas n ṭṭumubinat.
|{{no gloss|A}}: be.careful!  only  there  much(FS)  of  cars
|A: Just be careful. There are many cars.}}

{{interlinear|indent=3
|B: A wah, yewseɣ uqedduḥ.
|{{no gloss|B}}: o  yes  it(M).is.many  tin.can(AS)
|B: Yes, there are many tin cans (i.e. cars).}}

<section begin="list-of-glossing-abbreviations"/><div style="display:none;">
AS: annexed state
FS: free state
AD: the particle 'a(d)' "non-realized"
</div><section end="list-of-glossing-abbreviations"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{Cite book |last=Biarnay |first=Samuel |title=Etude sur le dialecte des Bet't'ioua du Vieil-Arzeu |date=1911 |publisher=A. Jourdan |location=Alger |oclc=458532850}}
*{{Cite book |last=Biarnay |first=Samuel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PhShoAEACAAJ |title=Etude sur les dialectes berbères du Rif: Lexique, textes et notes de phonétique |date=1917 |location=Paris|publisher=Leroux |language=fr}}
*{{Cite book |last=Cadi |first=Kaddour |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o3yHDAEACAAJ |title=Système verbal rifain: forme et sens ; linguistique tamaziqht (Nord Marocain) |date=1987 |publisher=Peeters |isbn=978-2-85297-195-0 |series=Études ethno-linguistiques Maghreb-Sahara |location=Paris}}
*{{Cite journal |last=Colin |first=Georges Séraphin |date=1929 |title=Le parler berbère des Gmara |url=https://hesperis-tamuda.com/Downloads/1921-1929/Hesp%C3%A9ris%20Tamuda%201929.pdf |journal=Hespéris |volume=9 |pages=43–58}}
*{{Cite book |last=Kossmann |first=Maarten |title=Esquisse grammaticale du rifain oriental |date=2000 |publisher=Peeters |isbn=978-90-429-0892-5 |series=M. S. - Ussun amazigh |location=Paris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XCKlGTxLBW4C}}
*{{Cite book |last=Lafkioui |first=Mena |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mHf0KAAACAAJ |title=Atlas linguistique des variétés berbères du Rif |date=2007 |location=Köln |publisher=Rüdiger Köppe |isbn=978-3-89645-395-2 |language=fr}}
*{{Cite journal |last=McClelland |first=Clive |date=1996 |title=Interrelations of Prosody, Clause Structure and Discourse Pragmatics in Tarifit Berber |url=https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/84/ |journal=Faculty Dissertations}}
*{{Cite book |last=McClelland |first=Clive W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8s0XAQAAIAAJ |title=The Interrelations of Syntax, Narrative Structure, and Prosody in a Berber Language |date=2000 |publisher=Edwin Mellen Press |isbn=978-0-7734-7740-7 |language=en}}
*{{Cite book |last1=Mourigh |first1=Khalid |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZDxrzQEACAAJ |title=An Introduction to Tarifiyt Berber (Nador, Morocco) |last2=Kossmann |first2=Maarten |date=2019 |publisher=Ugarit-Verlag |isbn=978-3-86835-307-5 |language=en}}
*{{Cite book |last=Renisio |first=Amédée |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TRxXAAAAMAAJ |title=Étude sur les dialectes berbères des Beni Iznassen, du Rif, et des Senhaja de Sraïr: grammaire, textes et lexique |date=1932 |location=Paris |publisher=E. Leroux |language=fr}}
*{{Cite book |last=Abarrou |first=Jamâl |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0PjEEAAAQBAJ |title=Dictionnaire rifain-français illustré: Le parler d'Ayt Weryaghel (Rif central). Maroc |date=2023 |publisher=Editions L'Harmattan |isbn=978-2-14-032788-9 |language=fr}}
==External links==
{{Incubator|code=rif|prefix=Wp}}
{{Portal|Morocco|Languages}}
* [https://wold.clld.org/vocabulary/6 Tarifiyt Berber Vocabulary List] (from the World Loanword Database)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070704114839/http://www.inalco.fr/crb/crb_2/fiches_dialectes/rifain.htm INALCO report on Tarifit] (fr)

{{Berber languages|state=collapsed}}
{{Languages of Morocco|state=collapsed}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Berber languages]]
[[Category:Languages of Morocco]]
[[Category:Riff languages]]
[[Category:Languages of Spain]]