Numidian language

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Numidian
Old Libyan
Native toancient Numidia and Africa
EthnicityMassylii
Era3rd century BC to the 3rd century AD
Libyco-Berber (Proto-Tifinagh)
Language codes
ISO 639-3nxm
nxm
Glottolognumi1241

Numidian, also known as Old Libyan or Libyan, was a language spoken in ancient Numidia and Roman North Africa. Although the script in which it was written, Libyco-Berber (from which Tifinagh descended), has been almost fully deciphered, the language has not. Libyco-Berber inscriptions are attested from the 3rd century BC to the 3rd century AD. The language is scarcely attested and can be confidently identified only as belonging to the Afroasiatic family.

Categorization and reconstruction[]

As the Massylii, who spoke the language, were ethnically Berber,[1][2] it is supposed that Numidian was therefore a Berber language.[3] The Berber branch of Afro-Asiatic is sometimes called Libyco-Berber since it is not certain whether Numidian would fall within the modern Berber languages or form a sister branch to them. Some theorize that it constituted a group of its own, as there is no trace of the noun-case system shared by the modern Berber languages.[4] However, Proto-Berber is theorized to have no grammatical case either, which would also imply a later addition of the system. The Lybico-Berber tifinagh and the Phoenician alphabet being abjads without vowels complicates the matter even more.[5]

Work on deciphering the language has not been decisive, although especially recently some tried to reconstruct words by comparing Numidian script to proto and modern Berber languages. Most remaining scripts are funerary, and follow the formula of "X w-Y" (X son of Y). A few gravestones show a different word between the two personal names, plausibly interpreted as a kinship term based on Berber comparisons: wlt "daughter (of)" (modern Berber wəlt), and, more rarely, mt "mother (of)" (modern Tuareg ma). In the Dougga inscriptions some political positions are mentioned, such as "gld" (king) which based on this technique, can be translated into the modern berber word "agellid"[6] which originates from the proto-berber word "*a-gəllid". A few verbs have been unambiguously identified in the various inscriptions. Comparison with modern Berber suggests that ṣkn, probably read as "eṣ(ə)k-n based on modern berber comparison which means"built" is to be analysed as ṣk "build" plus -n, marking 3pl subject agreement (-ən).[7][8]

An example of translation using this method can be demonstrated on a part of a Numidian inscription which is read as "Msnsn. gldt. w-gjj."[9] "Msnsn" is the name of king Massinissa while "gldt" is the word for king. Finally, "w-gjj" means "son of Gaia". Thus by attempting to translate the Numidian text through modern and proto-Berber the inscription would read "Massinissa the king, son of Gaia".[10][8]

This would strongly suggest that Numidian is a now extinct branch of the Berber languages, although this is not completely accepted and some linguists still criticize this theory.[4]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jamil M. Abun-Nasr (20 August 1987). A History of the Maghrib in the Islamic Period. Cambridge University Press. p. 15. ISBN 978-1-316-58334-0.
  2. ^ Phillip C. Naylor (7 May 2015). Historical Dictionary of Algeria. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 132. ISBN 978-0-8108-7919-5.
  3. ^ Steven Roger Fischer (4 April 2004). History of Writing. Reaktion Books. p. 104. ISBN 978-1-86189-588-2.
  4. ^ a b Robert Martin Kerr, 2010
  5. ^ Pereltsvaig, Asya (2020-09-03). Languages of the World. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-108-47932-5.
  6. ^ Maddy-Weitzman, Bruce (2011-05-01). The Berber Identity Movement and the Challenge to North African States. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-74505-6.
  7. ^ "Libyco-Berber". mnamon.sns.it. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  8. ^ a b Daniels, Peter T.; Bright, William (1996). The World's Writing Systems. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-507993-7.
  9. ^ Jensen, Hans (1969). Sign, Symbol, and Script: An Account of Man's Efforts to Write. Putnam.
  10. ^ "Libyan' Inscriptions in Numidia and Mauretania". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  • Aikhenvald & Militarev, 1991. 'Livijsko-guanchskie jazyki', Jazyki Azii i Afriki, vol. 4, pp. 148–266.
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