Hello everyone! My name is Ella, and I was awarded a John Speak scholarship to learn Tachelhit in Morocco. Tachelhit is the language of the Amazigh people of North Africa, who are the indigenous people of this region, found in Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Mali, Niger and even the Canary Islands. I started learning Tachelhit in 2019 when I was working in a girl’s dormitory in rural Morocco, and I want to become fluent in the language because it’s important for the work that I do in rural girls’ education in Morocco.
This is a map of where Amazigh languages are spoken
When I arrived to Morocco I was delighted to see my old friends and some of my previous students from 2019 who came to Marrakesh to welcome me. Although I have been learning Tachelhit remotely online since leaving Morocco, this is the first time that I’ll be living in a house where everyone only speaks Tachelhit and I’m a little nervous as I expect that I’ll face a lot of challenges with understanding and being understood in the beginning, but this is a great opportunity to speak Tachelhit as much as possible.
Reunited with old friends!
My plan was to live in a small room above the home of my friend’s family, but the plan changed (like many things in Morocco!) because the room wasn’t ready (it was still full of grain sacks!), and instead I have rented a tiny apartment with two girls. Whilst I am here in Morocco, I will be studying Tachelhit and volunteering in the villages of the Atlas Mountains to help girls in their English and other studies.
Morocco is on fire right now (about 47 degrees!) and I’m still adjusting to the weather, especially with the lack of air conditioning in our apartment, so I am going to take the bus to Essaouira with three friends where the weather is much cooler because it’s by the coast. When I return, I have to go to the office of the local caid (the governor of the area) to officially sign the lease and I’m pretty sure that I am the first foreigner who has ever rented a place in this region! Speak to you soon!
The door to our apartment
Azul fllawn! Nkki ismiyyi Ella d umzgh minHa John Speak bach ad t3mlgh Tachelhit gh lmaghrib. Tachelhit tga tutlat n midn ichelhin gh ifrika shamaliya (lmaghrib, tunis, aljazayir, mali, niger, burkina faso, d hta canary islands) – midn asliayn n mintaqa ad. Bdigh ad t3mlgh imik n Tachelhit gh 2019 luqt lli khdmgh gh dar taliba n tifraxin gh lmaghrib d righ ad swalgh tutlat ad mezien achku tga tutlat istawhmman gh khmgh inu gh domain n tighri n tifraxin gh tamazirt n lmaghrib.
Lkmgh lmaghrib d fjijgh bzaf ashku zrigh timdukkal inu d kran tmhidarin inu n 2019. Wakha t3amlgh tachlehit mayad izrin an b3ud gh internet zgh ftigh lmaghrib, khattad tga tiklit tamzwarut lli zghgh gh tgmmi lligh kul midn ar swaln ghir tachlehit d ksudgh imik ashku mumkin rad dari bzaf n timukrisn n fhm gh isizwur, walakin khattad tga fursa mezien lli swalgh tachelhit gh wass kulut.
Lplan inu iga ad zghgh gh tahanut tmzzi afalla tgimmi n tawja n tamdwalt inu, walakin ibddl lplan (zund bzaf n tighawsiwin gh lmaghrib!) ashku tahanut ur tujad, d Krigh tgimmi tmzzi d snat tifraxin. Luqt lli lligh lmaghrib, rad ghrigh tachelhit d ula rad khmgh volontaire gh idwwarn n idrarn n lAtlas bach ad 3awngh tifraxin f tighri nsnt n tinglizit.
A visitor in our garden
Ihagra luqt gh lmaghrib ghilad (47 c!) d urta t myargh, d ur darngh la clime gh tgimmi ugh, mit rad amzgh lbus s Essaouira d kratt n timdukkal inu, lligh lju ifulki ashku tlla qrrb n lbhr. Lluq lligh rad urrigh, ikhassa yyi ad ddugh dar lcaid bach ad ssujadgh lbail nlkra d swingmgh is gigh trumit tamzwarut ad krugh tgimmi gh tamazirt ad! Ar imik!