Rif languages
Encyclopedia
According to the Ethnologue
, the Rif languages are a genetic subgroup of the Zenati languages
including two language
s and dialects spoken in the Rif
area of Morocco
. Other sources regard Senhaja de Srair as non-Zenati, and thus see "Rif languages" as an areal rather than genetic grouping:
Ethnologue
Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christian linguistic service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, to provide the speakers with Bibles in their native language and support their efforts in language development.The Ethnologue...
, the Rif languages are a genetic subgroup of the Zenati languages
Zenati languages
The Zenati languages, named after the medieval Zenata tribe, are a subgroup of the Northern Berber language family, spoken in North Africa, proposed in Destaing They are distributed across the central Maghreb, from northeastern Morocco to just west of Algiers, and the northern Sahara, from...
including two language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
s and dialects spoken in the Rif
Rif
The Rif or Riff is a mainly mountainous region of northern Morocco, with some fertile plains, stretching from Cape Spartel and Tangier in the west to Ras Kebdana and the Melwiyya River in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the river of Wergha in the south.It is part of the...
area of Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. Other sources regard Senhaja de Srair as non-Zenati, and thus see "Rif languages" as an areal rather than genetic grouping:
- Senhaja De SrairSenhaja de Srair languageThe language of the Senhaja de Srair, also Senhaya or Zenaga, is a Northern Berber language spoken in the southern part of the Moroccan Rif. It is most closely related to the Atlas languages, but heavily influenced by the neighboring Riff language Contrary to the Ethnologue, it is not extinct;...
- Riff