Tarifit/Nouns

Tarifit noun basics In Tarifit, nouns can be divided into three types based on their structure: Class 1 – Nouns with typical Berber noun patterns. This is the largest group. It includes most native Berber words, as well as many Arabic and European loanwords. Class 2 – Nouns that follow Arabic noun patterns. These are mostly borrowed from Arabic and some from European languages. Class 3 – Nouns without any special word patterns (no clear affixes). This small group includes basic kinship terms (like mother, brother, etc.) and a few other nouns. Features of tarifit nouns Tarifit nouns have three main features: Gender: masculine or feminine Number: singular or plural State: whether the noun is in a free or annexed form (used in certain sentence contexts) Adjectives and verbs match the noun in gender and number, but not in state. What this chapter covers First, we’ll look at the three features found in nouns: gender, number, and state. Then, we’ll explore how each feature is shown through word forms (morphology). When talking about the features themselves, we’ll look at all noun types together. But when talking about how these features are formed, we’ll keep the three noun classes separate. Gender Tarifit has two grammatical genders: masculine and feminine. Gender in countable nouns (Class 1) In nouns that follow Berber word patterns (Class 1), gender is often marked by affixes. Typically, every masculine noun has a matching feminine form. The feminine is derived from the masculine form by adding an element /t̲-/ to the prefix, and a suffix /-t̲/. For humans and higher animals, masculine and feminine mark their natural gender: Masculine Feminine Meaning aḥenjir t̲aḥenjirt̲ boy / girl ayyaw t̲ayyawt grandson / granddaughter asarḏun t̲asarḏunt̲ male mule / female mule afunas t̲afunast ox / cow akiḏar t̲akiḏart̲ horse / mare Irregular pairs (suppletive forms) Some words have completely different forms for masculine and feminine: Masculine Feminine Meaning aryaz t̲amɣart̲ man / woman amyan t̲ɣaṭṭ he-goat / she-goat icarri t̲ixsi ram / ewe yis řɛawḏa horse / mare This is also common with Class 3 nouns (basic terms like family members): Masculine Feminine Meaning uma učma my brother / sister b̲ab̲a yemma my father / mother jeddi ḥenna grandfather / grandmother Gender in non-human nouns For non-domesticated animals, inanimate objects, and body parts, gender can show size differences: Masculine often means bigger Feminine often means smaller Masculine Feminine Meaning aṭṭaw t̲iṭṭ big eye / normal eye fus t̲fust normal hand / baby hand aɣenja t̲aɣenjact ladle / spoon akeccuḏ̣ t̲akeccuṭṭ big stick / toothpick aqb̲uc t̲aqb̲uct big water jar / small jar Sometimes, especially with borrowed words (Class 2), the larger object has a masculine form, and the smaller one takes a feminine Berber form: Masculine Feminine Meaning řmaqřa t̲maqřat big / small frying pan řkas t̲kasect glass / small glass marmiṭa t̲marmiṭat big / small cooking pan řb̲it t̲b̲itect room / small room Feminine for language names and concepts The feminine form is also used to name languages and sometimes abstract concepts or behaviors: Feminine Form Related Masculine Meaning t̲maziɣt amaziɣ Berber language or Berber woman / Berber man t̲aɛraft aɛrab̲ Arabic language or Arabic woman / Arabic man t̲aṣpanyut aṣpanyu Spanish language or Spanish woman / Spanish man t̲aryast aryaz courage / from "man" Number In Tarifit, nouns can show differences in number — that is, whether something is singular or plural. There are also some special cases, like dual forms and collective nouns. Singular and Plural Most countable nouns in Tarifit have both a singular and a plural form. Singular Plural Meaning aḥenjir iḥenjiren boy / boys taḥenjirt tiḥenjirin girl / girls Some nouns use completely different words for the plural. These are called suppletive plurals: Singular Plural Meaning uma ayetma my brother / my brothers učma istma my sister / my sisters Mass Nouns Some nouns that refer to substances (like liquids) can be either singular or plural, and the form they take depends on the word itself — not on a clear pattern: Number Word Meaning Singular aɣi milk Singular řgiḥ pus Plural aman water Plural iḏammen blood Dual Number (Arabic Borrowings) Tarifit doesn’t normally have a dual form, but a few words borrowed from Moroccan Arabic do: Singular Dual Plural Meaning nnhar yumayen iyyam day / days char chrayen chur month / months ɛam ɛamayen snin year / years Collective and Unit Nouns Some nouns have three related forms: A collective form – refers to a group as a whole (singular masculine) A unit noun (singular) – refers to a single item A unit noun (plural) – refers to multiple items These are common in things like fruit, vegetables, plants, and objects. Usually: The collective form uses Class 2 (Arabic-style) The unit nouns use Class 1 (Berber-style) Collective Unit (Singular) Unit (Plural) Meaning řbacur t̲b̲acurt̲ t̲ib̲acurin fig řeb̲ṣeř t̲ab̲ṣeč t̲ib̲eṣřin onion řfeřfeř t̲ifeřfeč t̲ifeřfřin paprika ddelliɛ t̲adelliḥt t̲idelliɛin watermelon ṣṣabun t̲ṣabunt t̲iṣabunin soap tteffaḥ t̲ateffaḥt t̲iteffaḥin apple nnewwac t̲anewwact t̲inewwacin plant lleccin t̲aleccint tileccinin orange llajur t̲lajurt̲ tilajurin brick lbanan t̲b̲anant t̲ib̲ananin banana lfiras t̲afirast t̲ifrasin pear baṭaṭa t̲b̲aṭaṭaṭ tib̲aṭaṭat̲in potato mandarina t̲mandarint timandarinin mandarin ṭumaṭic t̲ṭumaṭict t̲iṭumaṭicin tomato xizzu t̲xizzut t̲ixizzut̲in carrot Some words change slightly between the collective and unit forms: Collective Unit (Singular) Unit (Plural) Meaning ccmeɛ t̲cumɛett t̲icumɛatin candle ccɛeř t̲aceɛřect – matches States Nouns with Class 1 Berber affixes change form depending on their role in a sentence. These forms are called states. While they’re sometimes compared to “states” in Semitic languages, in Berber it’s more about sentence position—so they work more like grammatical cases. There are two main forms: Free State (FS): the base or default form. Annexed State (AS): a slightly changed form used in specific sentence positions. When to use the Free State 1. When the noun stands alone → aryaz (FS) = “man” 2. As subject or predicate in a sentence without a verb → aryaz-a ḏ ayyaw nnes = “this man is his grandson” 3. As a direct object → yessawař t̲aspanyut = “he speaks Spanish” 4. At the start of a sentence for emphasis (topic) → aryaz-nni, yeqqim ḏi b̲aṛṛa = “that man, he stayed outside” 5. After the prepositions ař (“until”) and břa (“without”) → yuzzeř ař aqiḏ̣un nnes = “he ran until his tent” → t̲us-d b̲řa aryaz nnes = “she came without her husband” When to Use the Annexed State (AS) 1. When the noun comes after the verb as the subject → yeqqim waryaz ḏi b̲aṛṛa = “the man stayed outside” 2. After most prepositions (except ař and břa) → b̲ab̲a-s n waryaz = “the father of the man” → yeccuṛ-it̲ s waman = “he filled it with water” 3. After a sentence to explain something (post-topic) → ḏ asemmam, uɣi-ya = “it’s sour, this milk” 4. After some specific words placed before the noun Only Class 1 nouns show this state change. When it comes to adjectives they always stay in the Free State, even if the noun they describe is in the Annexed State. → s uɣi asemmam = “with the sour milk” (noun = AS, adjective = FS) → n waryaz ameqqṛan = “of the big man” (noun = AS, adjective = FS)