Learn Tamazight Online or
In Fez, Morocco
Study Middle Atlas Tamazight to communicate with people from the Middle Atlas Region
What is Tamazight?
Tamazight is the name of the Amazigh/Berber dialect spoken in the Middle Atlas Mountains of Morocco. The indigenous people of Morocco have spoken a local dialect of Berber/Amazigh for the last 2000 years. In Morocco, there are three main dialects of Amazigh: Tashelhit, Tamazight, and Tarifit. Though Amazigh dialects are on a continuum and generally considered mutually intelligible, the dialects of Amazigh can vary from town-to-town. Tamazight is also known as Central Atlas Tamazight, Middle Atlas Tamazight, or Central Morocco Tamazight.
Is it worthwhile to learn Tamazight?
While a high percentage of the population of Morocco speaks Moroccan Arabic, in Central Morocco, it is very helpful to know Tamazight. The region where Tamazight is spoken includes the cities of Khemissett, Meknès, Sefrou, Taza, Ifrane, Azrou, Khenifra, Beni Mellal, Azilal, Midelt, Rich, Imilchil, Errachidia, Merzouga, Goulmima, Tinjedad, Tineghir, Boulmane-Dadès, Skoura, Zagora, and all places in between. If you plan to spend a significant amount of time in one of these cities, you should consider learning Tamazight.
Learning Tamazight with Crossroads Cultural Exchange
Our core Tamazight course is called Abrid, which means "road" or "way" in Tamazight. The heart of this course is a practical and situational approach to the language. This makes the learning process faster and emphasizes the ability to communicate. Abrid is a comprehensive, practical course designed to help you speak (and understand!) the Tamazight dialect.
Scheduling your language study is flexible, but studying the entire Abrid course generally lasts nine months of studying in class 15 hours per week. When you complete all four levels of the course, you will have covered all the grammatical structures needed to say whatever you want to say in Tamazight. Study is facilitated through written course material as well as audio files to help you learn regardless of your learning style. You will explore both the language as well as cultural insights through dialogues, texts, proverbs, traditional riddles, and poems.
Our Program
Regular Schedule
Classes can be scheduled upon demand and can start at any time. Email us at hello@crossroadsculturalexchange.com to schedule your classes.
Because you must work harder to find language helpers and opportunities to practice Tamazight in the city, the recommended rate of study is at most 1 new lesson a day (90 minutes). Expect to spend out-of-class time in revision and practice. It is very important to find a language helper to increase your practice time, and it is highly recommended to take some trips to nearby Berber towns where you'll have more opportunities to put the language to use.
Proposed Schedule
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Serious Explorer - 9 hours, one week
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Abrid 1 - 25 lessons, five weeks
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26 lessons (39 hours), 5 or 6 weeks, with extra sessions added for drilling, additional conversation, and review.
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24 lessons (36 hours), 6 weeks, with extra sessions added for drilling, additional conversation, and review.
Some of the lessons at this level may take longer than one session, depending on the student's rhythm. It is best not to rush through the material but take the time to practice and consolidate it.
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33 lessons. Due to the more complex nature of the material, many lessons take more than one class session. Thus, count on at least 50 sessions of 90 minutes (75 hours), best done spread out over a 10 week period. As with the other levels, it is possible to add extra sessions for drilling, additional conversation, and review.
Prices
Prices are per person in Moroccan Dirhams (MAD) for one 90-minute session.
All digital material is included in the class prices. This includes textbooks, audio files, and flashcards. Printed material, if desired, will be charged for an additional cost.
MAD 230
Individual Class
Personalized study one-on-one with a language teacher.
MAD 120
Three or more students
Classes will be constituted of students at a similar language level with the permission of the students.
*Price is per student
MAD 175
Two Students
Classes will be constituted of students at a similar language level with the permission of the students.
*Price is per student
MAD 350
Enrollment fee
One-time for all courses apart from the Curious and Serious Explorer courses.
The people of Fes are known for their clear pronunciation and purity of language. When traveling or studying in other parts of Morocco, you will encounter regional words, phrases, and pronunciations specific to that region. Amidst the regionalisms of the country, Fes stands out as the place where regionalisms are fewer, and your language abilities acquired in the city will be understood wherever you travel in the country.