Meaning & use
Berbers
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“Berbers” is a form of “Berber”.
Meaning
proper nounplural
The indigenous peoples of North Africa, living mainly in Morocco, Algeria and neighbouring areas, who speak related languages and have a long shared history.
Grammar: Plural: 'the Berbers are' not 'the Berbers is'. The singular is Berber, which is also used as an adjective.
Patterns
- the Berbers of somewhere
The Berbers lived in North Africa long before the Arab conquests.
Many Berbers in the Atlas Mountains farm terraced land and raise sheep.
Berbers still speak several dialects of their own languages alongside Arabic.
Word forms
| singular | Berber |
|---|
Common combinations
- the Berbers of Morocco
- The Berbers of Morocco have a rich tradition of weaving.
- Berber languages
- Berber languages are officially recognized in Morocco and Algeria.
- Berber villages
- We hiked between small Berber villages in the mountains.
- Berber culture
- The museum explores Berber culture and craft.
- Berber carpet
- A handmade Berber carpet covered the living-room floor.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Amazigh
- Amazigh is the name many of these people use for themselves and is often preferred in respectful modern writing.
- Imazighen
- Imazighen is the plural of Amazigh in the Berber languages and is used when writers want to follow the community's own terms.
- Tuareg
- Tuareg refers to one specific Berber-speaking group of the Sahara, not to all Berbers.
Word family
- Berber noun
- one person of the group, or the languages
- Berber adjective
- relating to the people, their languages or culture
- Amazigh noun
- the people's own name for themselves
- Barbary proper noun
- an old European name for the North African coast
Commonly confused: Berbers or Bedouin? Berbers or Barbarian?
Berbers vs Bedouin
Bedouin are traditionally nomadic Arab peoples of the desert, while Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa with their own languages.
Berbers vs Barbarian
Barbarian is an unrelated word for an uncivilized person, even though it comes from a similar ancient root.
Practice
Which statement about the Berbers is correct?
Choose one answer.
The Berbers, or Amazigh, are the indigenous peoples of North Africa. Bedouin are the desert nomads of Arabian origin, which makes the first option tempting but wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Berbers”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.