Besides Senhaja de Srair, there are also several names such as Senhajiyya, Chelha, Chelha n Jbala, Tajeblit, Tamazight n Jbala, Tasenhajit.[4]
Dialects of Senhaja Berber are Beni Ahmed, Beni Bechir, Beni Buensar, Beni Jennus, Beni Mesdui, Beni Seddat, Ketama, Sarcat, and Tagsut[3]
Senhaja de Srair speakers are not used to write in their language. Unlike some other Berber languages, Tifinagh script is never used in Senhaja de Srair. If the language is written, especially in the case on Computer-mediated communication, Latin script is the most considered one, numbers are sometimes (but not consistently) used to represent some sounds: [4]
2 = ’ = ء |
6 = ṭ = ط |
3 = ɛ = ع |
7 = ḥ = ح |
4~8 = ġ = غ |
9 = q = ق |
5 = ḫ = خ |
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Following shows the oppositions in the consonantal system:[4]
Voice |
Voiced vs. voiceless consonants |
Length |
Short vs. long consonants |
Pharyngealization |
Non-pharyngealized vs. pharyngealized consonants |
Spirantization |
Stops vs. fricatives (spirantized consonants) |
Assibilation |
t vs. ț |
Labialization |
|
There are three peripheral vowels (a, i, u) and a central vowel, schwa [ə], written as e. The vowel a is usually realized as [æ], i as [ɪ], u as [u], e as [ə].
Following shows the Senhaja vowel system: [4]
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Lameen Souag, 2004: "Senhaja de Srair is not Zenati, but rather Atlas, belonging (despite location) with Middle Atlas Tamazight."
- Peter Behnstedt, "La frontera entre el bereber y el árabe en el Rif", Estudios de dialectología norteafricana y andalusí vol. 6, 2002.
- Esteban Ibañez, Diccionario español-senhayi (dialecto beraber de Senhaya de Srair), 1959.
- Mena Lafkiou, Atlas linguistique des variétés berbères du Rif (Berber Studies vol.15), 2007.
- A. Renisio, Études sur les dialectes berbères des Beni Iznassen, du Rif et des Senhaja de Sraïr. Grammaire, textes et lexique. PIHEM, vol. 12. Paris 1932.