| Awjila | |
|---|---|
| Jlan n Awilen | |
| Native to | Libya |
| Region | Cyrenaica |
Native speakers | 2,700 (2020)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | auj |
| Glottolog | awji1241 |
| ELP | Awjilah |
Awjila (alsoAujila,Augila,Aoudjila,Awgila,Awdjila; own name:Jlan n Awilen; in other Berber varietiesTawjilit[2][3]) is a severelyendangered (considered "moribund" byEthnologue)[4]Eastern Berber language spoken inCyrenaica,Libya,[5] in theAwjila oasis. Due to thepolitical situation in Libya, immediate data on the language has been inaccessible.[6] However, Facebook postings by speakers and younger semi-speakers have provided some recent supplementary data.[7]
Awjila is a member of theBerber branch of theAfroasiatic language family, of the Eastern Berber subgroup. It is closely related to the extinctSokna language of Libya and is considerably endangered, with an estimated 2,000–3,000 native speakers remaining.[8]UNESCO considers Awjila to be seriously endangered as the youngest speakers have reached or passed middle age.[citation needed]
The Berber languages of Libya faced severe oppression during the period ofMuammar Gaddafi, which has likely been the cause of the demise of some varieties such asSokna and the endangerment of others, including Awjila and Ghadames. The usage of Berber/Amazigh languages was effectively prohibited, and Gaddafi completely denied the existence of theImazighen people, reportedly saying, "call yourselves whatever you want inside your homes – Berbers, children of Satan, whatever – but you are only Libyans when you leave your homes".[9] He denied the existence of Berbers as a separate ethnicity, and called Berbers a "product ofcolonialism" created by the West to divide Libya.[10][11] He repeatedly targeted Amazigh rights activists (including linguists from abroad), to which can be attributed the lack of current and updated information on the Libyan Berber languages and the relatively limited content available, even inArabic, on the Internet (as opposed to the more extensive resources found on Moroccan and Algerian Amazigh varieties). The language is, however, used on Facebook by some Awjili members.[12]
Because of the political issues in Libya,field work on Awjila has been limited. The earliest studies of the language were carried out by Müller in 1827,[13] however, his work is difficult to analyze because there were no standard conventions such as theInternational Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) fortranscribing it at that time and because he failed to make distinctions for various sounds in Awjila (such the difference between asemphatic,pharyngeal consonants and their non-emphatic counterparts).[6] Moritz von Beurmann also contributed a short word list but some forms contradict information found in later sources.[6] The latest field work was done by Umberto Paradisi in 1960, whose data (in the form of texts) have become the basis for all future studies of the language, particularly that of contemporary scholar Marijn van Putten who has taken up the study of Awjila and other Eastern Berber varieties. Van Putten, who has published extensively on the language, relies heavily on the work of Paradisi and has used it to compile a dictionary and a grammar within his 2014 bookA Grammar of Awjila Berber.[6]
Although historicallyLibyco-Berber languages were written with theTifinagh alphabet between second century BCE and third century CE, Aujila and other Amazigh languages have remained oral for most of their modern existence. In recent times most Amazigh languages are written in eitherLatin orArabic script, although attempts to revive the Amazigh languages and cultures have led to the reintroduction of a "neo-Tifinagh" script in several domains. Nevertheless, Gaddafi had banned the script during the 42-years of his regime and therefore it is unlikely that the few Awjila speakers make any significant use of it.[14]
Awjila has several interestingphonological features that set it apart from most other varieties ofBerber. A few notable distinctions are listed below: (Van Putten)
Awjila also has several distinguishing features in the domains ofmorphology andsyntax:[17]
Due to the already dwindled population of Awjila speakers and the continued political strife in post-Arab Spring Libya, the future of this language seems grim. Although researchers at theSchool of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and the president of the Congrès Mondial Amazigh have confirmed that speakers of the language still remain, all of the known speakers have been advanced in age, suggesting that younger generations are not learning Awjila.[6]
