| Languages of Libya | |
|---|---|
Arabic sign at the grave of Sahabi Ruwaifa Al-Ansari
| |
| Official | Standard Arabic |
| Vernacular | Libyan Arabic, other varieties of Arabic |
| Minority | various Berber languages, Domari, Tedaga, Turkish, Greek |
| Foreign | Italian, French, English |
| Signed | Libyan Sign Language |
| Keyboard layout | |
The official language of LibyaisModern Standard Arabic. Most residents speak one of the varieties of Arabic as a first language, most prominently Libyan Arabic, but also Egyptian Arabic and Tunisian Arabic.
The official language of Libya is Arabic.[1] The local Libyan Arabic variety is the common spoken vernacular.
Berber
Various Berber languages are also spoken, including Tamahaq, Ghadamès, Nafusi, Zuwara, Yefren, Fezzan,[2] Kufra and Awjilah.[3] Both Berber and Arabic languages belong to the wider Afroasiatic family.
The most significant berber speaking group, the Nafusi, is concentrated in the Tripolitanian region.[4] Berber languages are also spoken in some cases, including Ghadamès, Awjilah, and formerly Sawknah. Tamahaq is spoken by the Tuareg people.
Libya's former Head of State Muammar Gaddafi denied the existence of Berbers as a separate ethnicity, and called Berbers a "product of colonialism" created by the West to divide Libya. The Berber language was not recognized or taught in schools, and for years it was forbidden in Libya to give children Berber names.[5][6]
During the First Libyan Civil War, the National Transitional Council broadcast in Tamazight for two hours a day.[7]
Domari
The Domari, an Indo-Iranian language spoken by the Dom people (ca. 33,000 speakers).
Tedega
Tedaga, a Saharan language is spoken by the previously nomadic Teda people. The exact number of Teda is unknown.[8]
Turkish
A minority of Turkish speakers can be found in Libya, most of them belonging to the Kouloughli ethnicity that inhabit cities like Tripoli, Benghazi, and Misrata.
Italian
Italian is spoken in the Italian Libyan community. Number of Italians and Italian speakers has drastically diminished since Libya's declaration of independence and mass repatriation of Italians.
Greek
The Greek language is spoken by an unknown number of speakers in Cyrenaica by some of the descendants of Greek Muslims (locally called Gritlis) who settled in the region at the end of the 19th century.
Coptic
The Coptic language is spoken as a Liturgical Language by the Coptic community in Libya.
English is a notable foreign language in business and for economical purposes and also spoken by the young generation. English and Italian are used in commerce, due to the large influx of foreigners. [9]
After the Libyan Civil War and the help coming from France, the French language gained popularity among the younger generations. French authorities expressed their interest to encourage the teaching of French in Libya.[10]
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