Kabyle in Algeria

Speakers

1.000.000 to 9.999.999

Type

Location

Kabyle in Algeria

Country

Information available

1. Basics

Names

Kabyle in Algeria

Size

1.000.000 to 9.999.999

2. Status

Status

  • Official country wide language
  • Official regional language
  • Official minority language
  • Recognised community language
  • Unrecognised community language
National language
Yes
Indigenous language
No
Comments
In view of the Algerian constitution ( “Art. 4. Tamazight is also a national and official language. The State works for its promotion and development in all its linguistic varieties in use on the national territory. ) even “taqbaylit”, which is a variety of Tamazight, is therefore recognized as an official language, even if it is not directly named. However, despite this status, in practice “taqbaylit” has no a real presence at the official level.

3. State

Documentation: materials

Written

  • Extended corpora
  • Annotated corpora
  • Corpus/corpora
  • Materials/corpus
  • Some materials
  • No materials
Digital
Yes

divider

Video

  • Extended corpora
  • Annotated corpora
  • Corpus/corpora
  • Materials/corpus
  • Some materials
  • No materials
Digital
Yes

divider

Audio

  • Extended corpora
  • Annotated corpora
  • Corpus/corpora
  • Materials/corpus
  • Some materials
  • No materials
Digital
Yes

divider

Documentation: descriptions

  • Elaborated dictionaries, grammars, statistical language models, etc.
  • Dictionaries and grammars
  • Dictionary and grammar
  • Glossary and descriptions
  • Few descriptions
  • No descriptions
Digital
Yes

Standardization

  • Modern standard language
  • Young standard language
  • Standardised language
  • Quasi-standard language
  • Semi-standardised language
  • Un-standardised language

Graphisation & script encoding

  • Standardised writing system with full script encoding
  • Conventionalised writing system with partial script encoding
  • Consistent writing system with no script encoding
  • Unsystematic writing system(s)
  • Limited written use
  • No written use

4. Users

Geographical distribution

  • Users live and dominate in all regions of the country
  • Users live in one [state/...] of the country
  • Users live in a cross-border region [state/...] of the country
  • Users live in separated [states/...] of the country
  • Users live dispersed across one [state/...] of the country
  • Users live scattered all over the country

Settlements

  • Rural
  • Urban
Administrative units of the country
Tizi Ouzou, Bejaïa, Boumerdes, Bouira, Bordj Bou Arreridj, Sétif, Jijel, Algiers, Oran, Tiaret, Ouargla etc.
Comments
Taqbayit is the dominant language in a historical region called "Kabylia", which has no official status. Algeria, which is a centralized state, is subdivided into Wilaya (department), which in turn is made up of daïra (sub-prefecture), itself made up of "commune". Thus Kabylie corresponds to several departments (the two departments of Tizi Ouzou and Bejaïa as well as part of the departments of Boumerdes, Bouira, Bordj Bou Arreridj, Sétif and Jijel.) However, the Kabyles form a strong diaspora in several regions of Algeria and in certain from them the intergenerational transmission is so strong that the language has been established there for several decades.

Size / Number of users

Source
My own estimates.
Comments

In Algeria, since 1966, languages ​​have not been included in public statistics surveys.

Users within the reference community

More than 50% use the language
Source
My own estimates
Comments
In Algeria, since 1966, languages have not been included in public statistics surveys.

Age distribution of users

Age distribution of users

Educational attainment

Tertiary education
Comments

In public schools, taqbaylit is taught as part of Tamazight lessons in primary and secondary schools (3 hours per week) in Kabylia and in the vast majority of Algerian departments (Wilayas). It is only taught as a subject of instruction, not as a language of instruction, with the exception of university departments of “Amazigh language and culture” (training graduates, masters and doctoral students) specialized in Berber studies, where some courses are in Tamazight (in taqbaylit).

Occupational qualifications

Comments

While there are still many illiterates among the speakers of this language and even though the bulk of the population lives in Kabylia, which is predominantly rural and economically poor, there is a high proportion of people with degrees and sometimes occupying very high positions in different functions everywhere in Algeria and abroad.

Language competence

Understand all, speak/sign fluently

Literacy of users

Less than 10% of users with literacy in the language

Digital use

Less than 10% digital users of the language

5. Use

Socio-geographic dimension

Geographic scope
  • International
  • Supranational
  • Cross-border (states)
  • State-wide
  • Supra-regional cross-border
  • Supra-regional
  • Regional cross-border
  • Regional
  • Local

Economic dimension

Functional dimension

Functional scope
  • Public domains
  • Everyday domains
  • Private domains
Nature
complementary

Functional use in administration

Language use in administration
  • International level
  • National level
  • Regional level
  • Local level
  • Auxiliary use
  • No use

Types of language use

  • signed / spoken use
  • written use
  • digital use

Completion