Prof. Dr. Mena B. Lafkioui is a linguist and sociolinguist, specialized in Amazigh languages and cultures, on which she has been extensively working and publishing for more than two decades.
We have prepared some questions for our professor:
Could you tell us in lay terms what tamazight stands for, linguistically speaking?
Tamazight coverts a huge part of Africa. Is this Amazigh language continuum unique?
What does Zenatic and Senhaja mean in linguistics?
Is Tamazight traditionally oral or written?
And much more questions!
Publications of Prof. Dr. Mena B. Lafkioui are downloadable from here:
The Linguistic Atlas of the Rif is freely downloadable from here:
atlasrif.wordpress.com/
Poem of Madghis Buzakhar:
Sruru a Bruru
Mnit deffr-ak run
aɣeccir d umenzu
lḥarez n Tanit d Amun
Jugg lluɣd, Amerridu!
ad meɣren ass-a, ak-ttun
g yilel, d aɣerrabu
Jar zzman, d agezzun
g yilem itturar aṭu
lli sstaḥcn-ak, wel mmun
Sruru a Bruru
Mnit deffr-ak run
aɣeccir d umenzu
lḥarez n Tanit d Amun
G lḥbes Dujember 2010, Tripolitania-Tamazɣa – Madghis Buzakhar
Sruru a Bruru
So many cried because of it
infant and a born child
Amulet of Tanit and Amun
Cradle the time Lull!
Today they grow up, and forget you
In the sea, you are the boat
Between the times, you are alone
Inside a space were wind play's
Whom remember you, they have never died
Trill Owl
So many cried because of it
infant and a born child
Amulet of Tanit and Amun
In the jail December 2010, Tripolitania- Tamazɣa - Madghis Buzakhar
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There is an new article of Prof. Dr. Mena B. Lafkioui:
I am very pleased to announce the new open-access publication of 'Pluricentric Languages in Africa and in Other Regions of the World' (https://pcl-press.org/.../pluricentric-languages-in.../), thanks to the excellent work of the editors, Benjamin Meisnitzer and Máté Huber, along with the entire editorial team. My contribution, titled 'Pluricentricity, Iconisation, and Instrumentalisation of Language in North Africa and its Diaspora', is also available for download here:
My study deals with the central role of Tamazight in shaping ‘Amazighness’, i.e., the translocal Amazigh group identity, influenced by social, political, and historical factors and fostered by linguistic ‘pluricentricity’. Despite the prevalence of functionally dominant languages in daily interactions, discussions about Amazigh identity primarily revolve around Tamazight, highlighting its significant ethnic importance. However, there has been a recent shift in the portrayal of Tamazight, influenced by the evolving perception of Darija as part of Tamazight heritage and interactional repertoire. This shift is driven by governmental instrumentalisation of Tamazight, especially since its official recognition in Morocco and Algeria, alongside ongoing institutional Arabisation efforts. Despite these efforts, Arabisation has failed to replace Tamazight and Darija with Standard Arabic as intended, leading to a phenomenon termed ‘Darijation’. The study also emphasises language’s role in shaping culture, serving as a crucial aspect of both traditional and contemporary cultural practices. It shows that language not only acts as a conduit for cultural expression, but actively shapes culture itself through ‘conventionalised heteroglossia’.
