Alternate Names: Central Shilha, Middle Atlas Berber, Moroccan Amazigh, Shilha, Tachelhit
Dialects: Much dialect variety. May be more than 1 language.
Genealogy:
Demographics: 2,340,000 in Morocco (2004 census). Population total all countries: 2,490,000. 936,000 monolinguals.
Language Use: A major Berber language. Many children, adolescents, and younger adults; all older adults and elderly. Others use Arabic [ary] as L2.
Language Development: Literacy rate in L2: Men 25%, women 5%. Poetry. New media. Radio programs. Films. TV. Videos. Dictionary. Bible portions: 1919–1981.
Typology: VSO (for Berber).
Writing System: Arabic, Latin, Tifinagh (Berber)
Nation of Origin: Morocco
Other Comments: 65% live in rural areas, 10% live outside the traditional area. Muslim.