Zuwara Berber

Zuwara Berber, also known as Twillult, is a Berber dialect spoken by the people of Zuwara, a coastal city in western Tripolitania, northwestern Libya. The language is part of the Zenati branch of the Berber languages, which belong to the Afro-Asiatic language family. Zuwara Berber is unique in that it is considered a dialect of the Nafusi language by Ethnologue, although some scholars, such as Kossmann (1999), classify it as a distinct branch of Berber due to differences in its linguistic features.

The term “Twillult” refers to the local variety of the language, and the word “Mazigh” is often used to refer both to the broader Amazigh language group and the people who speak these languages. This language is an important part of the cultural identity of the people of Zuwara, who have maintained their linguistic heritage despite pressures from surrounding languages like Arabic, which is dominant in Libya.

Zuwara Berber has been studied by scholars such as Terence Mitchell, whose work “Zuaran Berber (Libya): Grammar and Texts” provides an in-depth look at the language’s grammar and usage, based on recordings from local speakers, including Ramadan Azzabi. This study includes various texts in Zuwara Berber, offering insights into its syntax, morphology, and vocabulary. Luigi Serra has also contributed to the academic understanding of this dialect with several articles.

One interesting feature of Zuwara Berber is its use of the masculine form when referring to the language, which is rare among Berber dialects. Though the language faces challenges from the dominance of Arabic, efforts to preserve and revitalize it continue, highlighting the resilience of the Amazigh culture in the region.

Today, Zuwara Berber remains a vital part of the community’s identity, even as it faces pressures from globalization and the spread of dominant languages.