On the Issue of the Berber Written Tradition

The article is devoted to the study of the linguistic tradition of the Berbers, who are the indigenous people of North Africa. The Berbers have maintained a rich tradition of spoken language. At the turn of the 20th ‑21st centuries, against the backdrop of the intensification of the movement for sel...

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Autor principal: E. N. Fursova
Formato: article
Lenguaje:EN
RU
Publicado: Ассоциация независимых экспертов «Центр изучения кризисного общества» (in English: Association for independent experts “Center for Crisis Society Studies”) 2020
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spelling oai:doaj.org-article:023ba3759a084c148e433a85fc791fc42021-11-07T14:45:04ZOn the Issue of the Berber Written Tradition2542-02402587-932410.23932/2542-0240-2020-13-3-13https://doaj.org/article/023ba3759a084c148e433a85fc791fc42020-08-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.ogt-journal.com/jour/article/view/645https://doaj.org/toc/2542-0240https://doaj.org/toc/2587-9324The article is devoted to the study of the linguistic tradition of the Berbers, who are the indigenous people of North Africa. The Berbers have maintained a rich tradition of spoken language. At the turn of the 20th ‑21st centuries, against the backdrop of the intensification of the movement for self‑determination, their cultural and linguistic rights, the Berbers launched a large‑scale activity aimed at restoring the national written language. The author suggested that the need to develop standardized writing was partly due to the desire of the Berbers to consolidate the official status of their language in the Constitution. The author notes that the aggravation of the so‑called “Berber question” at the end of the 20th century spurred the interest of scientists and researchers in the Berber written heritage. Most of the surviving handwritten documents make Berber texts (mostly religious), recorded using the Arabic alphabet between the 15th and early 20th centuries. The study of conditions for their creation and fields of their application shows that these texts played a significant role in the dissemination of religious and scientific knowledge among the Berbers. It is concluded that despite the use of the predominantly oral form of the language, the Berbers managed to create a unique written tradition. The article discusses in detail the main problems of the study of Berber manuscripts, among which: the requirement from the researcher of serious pre‑knowledge in various fields; the problem of accessibility of texts stored in private collections; the need to develop unified approaches to the description of Berber manuscripts, their digitization and other important arrangements to ensure the availability of documents for the scientific‑research community. Particular attention is paid to the history of the creation of the first collections of Berber manuscripts and their cataloging. The author has also highlighted the work of scientists, who made a qualitative contribution to the study of the Berber manuscripts, most of which have not yet been discovered and carry significant potential aimed at pre‑ serving and enhancing the Berber cultural and historical heritage.E. N. FursovaАссоциация независимых экспертов «Центр изучения кризисного общества» (in English: Association for independent experts “Center for Crisis Society Studies”)articlethe berber languagethe status of the berber languagethe berber scriptthe berber questionthe berber literary traditionthe berber manuscriptsthe neo‑tifinagh alphabetInternational relationsJZ2-6530ENRUКонтуры глобальных трансформаций: политика, экономика, право, Vol 13, Iss 3, Pp 232-248 (2020)
institution DOAJ
collection DOAJ
language EN
RU
topic the berber language
the status of the berber language
the berber script
the berber question
the berber literary tradition
the berber manuscripts
the neo‑tifinagh alphabet
International relations
JZ2-6530
spellingShingle the berber language
the status of the berber language
the berber script
the berber question
the berber literary tradition
the berber manuscripts
the neo‑tifinagh alphabet
International relations
JZ2-6530
E. N. Fursova
On the Issue of the Berber Written Tradition
description The article is devoted to the study of the linguistic tradition of the Berbers, who are the indigenous people of North Africa. The Berbers have maintained a rich tradition of spoken language. At the turn of the 20th ‑21st centuries, against the backdrop of the intensification of the movement for self‑determination, their cultural and linguistic rights, the Berbers launched a large‑scale activity aimed at restoring the national written language. The author suggested that the need to develop standardized writing was partly due to the desire of the Berbers to consolidate the official status of their language in the Constitution. The author notes that the aggravation of the so‑called “Berber question” at the end of the 20th century spurred the interest of scientists and researchers in the Berber written heritage. Most of the surviving handwritten documents make Berber texts (mostly religious), recorded using the Arabic alphabet between the 15th and early 20th centuries. The study of conditions for their creation and fields of their application shows that these texts played a significant role in the dissemination of religious and scientific knowledge among the Berbers. It is concluded that despite the use of the predominantly oral form of the language, the Berbers managed to create a unique written tradition. The article discusses in detail the main problems of the study of Berber manuscripts, among which: the requirement from the researcher of serious pre‑knowledge in various fields; the problem of accessibility of texts stored in private collections; the need to develop unified approaches to the description of Berber manuscripts, their digitization and other important arrangements to ensure the availability of documents for the scientific‑research community. Particular attention is paid to the history of the creation of the first collections of Berber manuscripts and their cataloging. The author has also highlighted the work of scientists, who made a qualitative contribution to the study of the Berber manuscripts, most of which have not yet been discovered and carry significant potential aimed at pre‑ serving and enhancing the Berber cultural and historical heritage.
format article
author E. N. Fursova
author_facet E. N. Fursova
author_sort E. N. Fursova
title On the Issue of the Berber Written Tradition
title_short On the Issue of the Berber Written Tradition
title_full On the Issue of the Berber Written Tradition
title_fullStr On the Issue of the Berber Written Tradition
title_full_unstemmed On the Issue of the Berber Written Tradition
title_sort on the issue of the berber written tradition
publisher Ассоциация независимых экспертов «Центр изучения кризисного общества» (in English: Association for independent experts “Center for Crisis Society Studies”)
publishDate 2020
url https://doaj.org/article/023ba3759a084c148e433a85fc791fc4
work_keys_str_mv AT enfursova ontheissueoftheberberwrittentradition
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