berber

IPA/ˈbɜː.bər/
KK[bˈɚbɚ]IPA/ˈbɝː.bɚ/

berber — noun

  • berbersingular
  • berbersplural

1. a person who belongs to one of the ethnic groups that have lived in North Africa

1.名詞B1
釋義

a person who belongs to one of the ethnic groups that have lived in North Africa, especially in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya, for thousands of years, before the arrival of Arabs in the region.

例句

Kofi met a group of Berber traders while traveling through the ancient markets of Marrakech.

a group of Berber traders

Sofia learned that her grandfather was a Berber who moved from the Atlas Mountains to France in the 1960s.

was a Berber

同義詞
  • Amazigh

    the preferred self-designation in Tamazight, meaning 'free person'; used to avoid the externally imposed label 'Berber'

  • Imazighen

    the plural form of Amazigh; refers collectively to the ethnic group

  • Tuareg

    a specific subgroup of Berber peoples who traditionally live in the Sahara desert

  • Kabyle

    a Berber subgroup native to the Kabylia region of northern Algeria

文法句型

a Berber

the Berbers (plural)

用法筆記

Many members of these groups now prefer the term Amazigh (singular) or Imazighen (plural), which means 'free people' in the Berber language Tamazight.

常見錯誤

My friend is a Berber person.
My friend is a Berber.
💡'Berber' already refers to the person; adding 'person' is redundant.
The Berber people lives in North Africa.
The Berber people live in North Africa.
💡'people' is a collective plural noun in this context.

2. a group of related languages spoken by Berber peoples across North Africa, inclu

2.名詞B1
釋義

a group of related languages spoken by Berber peoples across North Africa, including Tamazight, Tachelhit, Tarifit, and Kabyle; or any one of these languages.

例句

Deepa learned a few words of Berber during her trip to the village of Imlil in the Atlas Mountains.

words of Berber

Lucas is studying Tamazight, one of the most widely spoken Berber languages, at the university in Rabat.

Berber languages

同義詞
  • Tamazight

    the most widely used self-name for the language family; also specifically refers to the Central Atlas variety spoken in Morocco

  • Tachelhit

    a Berber language spoken in southern Morocco, also called Tashelhit or Shilha

  • Tarifit

    a Berber language spoken in the Rif region of northern Morocco

  • Kabyle

    a Berber language spoken by the Kabyle people in northern Algeria

文法句型

Berber (uncountable)

a Berber language (countable)

用法筆記

As an uncountable noun, 'Berber' refers to the entire language family. To name a specific variety, use a countable construction: 'a Berber language' or the language's own name (e.g. Tamazight, Tachelhit).

常見錯誤

She speaks a Berber.
She speaks a Berber language.' or 'She speaks Berber.
💡'Berber' as a mass noun does not take the article 'a'; use 'a Berber language' for one specific variety.

berber — adjective