Berber languages Guanches, likely belonged to the Berber branch of the Afro-Asiatic family. The Berber letter "c" is pronounced (like the English "sh"). The Berber letter "x" is pronounced (like the Spanish "j" or the German "ch" (Ach-Laut)). The Berber letter "ɣ" is pronounced (like the French or German "r"). Berber languages The Berber languages, also known as Berber or the Amazigh languages (Berber name: , ; Neo-Tifinagh: ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖⵜ, Tuareg Tifinagh: ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵗⵜ, ⵝⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵗⵝ, , ), are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They comprise a group of closely related dialects spoken by the Berbers, who are indigenous to North Africa. The
Names of the Berber people Names of the Berber people The ethnonym Berber dates to the 19th century, derived from "Barbary" the term for the Maghreb coast used during the early modern period, itself from Greek "barbaria" "land of barbarians". The contemporary self-designation current mostly in Morocco is "Imazighen" (singular "Amazigh"). This term is common in Morocco, especially among Central Atlas, Rifian and Shilah speakers in 1980, but elsewhere within the Berber homeland sometimes a local, more particular term, such as Kabyle (Kabyle comes from Arabic: tribal confederation) or Chaoui, is more often used instead in Algeria. The Berber tribal populations of antiquity are known