Grammar of Tamazight: Central Atlas of Morocco

The objective of this reference grammar is to contribute to the various works that have been published in Tamazight (tamaziɣt) or Berber linguistics. This work aims at providing an overview of the structure of Tamaziɣt language by describing its sounds (phonology), its morphology (how its words are formed and classified), its syntax (the distribution of its lexical units to form phrases and sentences), and how the meaning of words (semantics) is constructed and conveyed. The grammar goes into some details in some areas and could serve as a pedagogical tool for teachers of Tamaziɣt (or Berber) and/or for linguists who work in comparative studies. The basic source of the data and the examples provided in this grammar are mostly from the author’s own speech community, recorded examples from conversations with friends and family members, all of whom are native speakers of this variety. Additional materials were drawn from songs such as memorized Ahidous (High Atlas songs), folklore and songs including Amazigh artists such as Ahozar, Rwicha, Hadda Ouakki among others, all of which are available on YouTube. In addition, examples are also borrowed from references when necessary in order to compare the varieties.