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Siwi is a Berber language spoken in the Siwa and Cara oases. There is also a small population that speaks Siwi in Libya, but the exact number of speakers is unknown. The language is spoken by the Siwi people, the easternmost group and the most isolated of the Berber people in Egypt. Now, most Siwi people have switched to Egyptian Arabic as their main language, leaving very few remaining who still speak Siwi as a native tongue and in daily communication. Siwi is not used in schools, and it is rarely written since most speakers write in Arabic. Although Siwi is mostly intelligible to speakers of other Berber languages, it is still classified as its own language.

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Also known as: Siwan, Siwa Berber, Sioua, Oasis Berber, Siwa, Zenati​​

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Language Family: Berber

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Written Alphabet: Tifinagh, Latin

 

Category: Definitely Endangered

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Speakers: Around 20,000

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