I’ve always been fascinated by multilingual societies, and the interesting dynamics that surface in societies where they coexist. Algeria is no exception, and while 77.1% of Algerians are Arab speaking, 22% are Berber speaking, and within the group of Berber languages there are numerous dialects.
When I did a bit of research (I found that a large many of the sources with information on the languages of Algeria are Christian evangelists…interesting especially when there are so many claims that the Muslims are trying to take over the world.), I found that there are a whopping 18 living languages spoken in Algeria, as follows:
Algerian Sign Language
Arabic/Algerian Saharan Spoken
Arabic/Algerian Spoken
Arabic/Standard
Chenoua
French
Kabyle
Korandje
Tachawit
Tachelhit
Tagargrent
Tamahaq/Tahaggart
Tamazight/Central Atlas
Tamazight/Temacine
Tamazight/Tidikelt
Tarifit
Taznatit
Tumzabt
Fascinating, and yet another example of how rich and varied Algerian culture is.
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