Amazigh neologisms

By Messaoudi Djaafar

A language is said to be powerful thanks to its vocabulary stock. It is the richness in vocabulary which allows speakers and writers to express themselves easily and accurately in every situation. It is this richness as well which makes people prefer learning such or such language. Therefore, I think that developing the lexis of the Amazigh language must be among the highest priorities. Unfortunately, such is not the case in spite of the possibility offered by the Internet for the Berber linguists to discuss, suggest and comment ideas related to this field in order to put up a common strategy and agree about the most appropriate terminology. 1. Blockhouse: this word can be conveyed in Tamazight by the term “taghazamt” (pl.”tighuzam"). In Touareg, it means “small room”. The Amazigh term is therefore identical to the French word, “casemate”, both in form and contents, a thing which will make it easily understandable. 2. Macro: this so-called Greek term, used in Indo-European languages as prefix to mean “big or long”, is absolutely identical to the Amazigh word “Meqqer” / “Meqqor”. So, the scientific term “macrocephalic” (= with an abnormally big head) can be expressed in Tamazight by the word “ameqqerixef” or “Ameqqorixef”. A lot of other words can be similarly generated. 3. Site: this term has its equivalent in Tamazight; it is « agni / agwni » meaning “an even place”. As you can see it, the English terms “site” and “situation” are linked lexically to each other exactly the same way as the Kabyle “Agni” and “Tagnitt”. Therefore, hereafter we can say in Berber « agni n Internet» (Internet site), “agni amezraw” (place of historical interest), etc. 4. Theology: this term, made up of two Greek elements meaning “God” and “science”, can be expressed in Tamazight, by overturning order, with the compound word “Tussnayakuct”. “tussna” being science and ancient “yakuc” God in Berber, and final “t” that marks female nouns. We can also suggest the simple form “tussnakuct “, by the fall of the syllable” ya “of”Yakuc", a phenomenon already certified in Berber compound words creation process. 5. Monotheism: term constructed on the basis of mono+theos+isme. The first element corresponds to the Shleuh term “Yan”, the second is already explained supra, and the third is the suffix added to nouns and which means “school / doctrine”. For this last element, we are not going to complicate things; we are simply going to put the discontinuous mark of the female Berber nouns « ta - t » or « ta-a». So, we will get in Tamzight “Tayanyakuct” or “Tayanyakuca”. Here also, we can make simple forms “Tayankuct” / “Tayankuca”. For the adjective “monotheistic”, we will put in Tamazight « ayanyakucan / tayanyakucant » or the simplified forms « ayankucan / tayankucant »; the "an”, suffix of adjectives, is certified in all dialects, except the Touareg. 6. Polytheism: there exist in Tamazight more than a term which corresponds to the Greek “poly” which means several. We will give only one here: “mennaw”, found in Mozabit. By the same technique as that explained over, we can create “Tamennawyakuct” or the simplified form “Tamennawkuct”, or else “Tamennawkuca”. The adjective would be “Amennawyakucan” or “Amennawkucan” for the masculine. 7. Atheism: the privative “a” can be conveyed in Tamazight by « war / tar », without, certified in several Amazigh dialects, or “Aba”, non-existence, commonly-used only in Touareg. We can therefore put “Taryakuct” / “Taryakuca” or simplified forms “Tarakuct” * or “Tarkuca”. With “Aba”, we can create “Tabayakuct” or “Tabakuct” or else “Tabakuca”. By associating the suffix “an” with the over-mentioned forms, we will get the adjective « aryakucan / taryakucant » or simplified forms « arkucan / tarkucant », or « abayakucan / tabayakucant » or else « abakucan / tabakucant », which corresponds at any rate to the term “atheistic”. Notice: we avoided “Tarkuct”, because this term already exists in Kabyle with the sense of mashed potatoes. 8. Pluviometer: this is an instrument; it could be expressed in Tamazight with the term “Asketunzâr” created by juxtaposition of two nouns among which the one is in the state of annexation (asket unzâr); of Touareg term meaning “Asket” measures, and of the Kabyle "anzâr” which means “rain”. This technique of creating words is well-known in Berber. The term pluviometry would be “Askatunzâr” or “Taskatunzârt” (askat unzâr); i.e. verbal name+name+A.S. 9. Rainfall level: we suggest the term “tasmektanzârt”; from the Touareg “tasmekta”, quantity, and the already explained Kabyle” anzâr”. This neologism is created according to a model certified in Tamazight, that is juxtaposition of two nouns where the second loses the initial vowel. 10. Bike: this term composed of “bi” and “cycle” can be conveyed in Tamazight by “Asinjerray” or “Tasinjerrayt”; from the numeral “sin “, two, and the name” tajerrayt ", wheel in Kabyle. By Messaoudi Djaafar