By Alasdair Mackinnon On January 5th, 2016, the Algerian government published a new draft constitution. Among provisions to strengthen the democratic process in the country is a move to give the Berber language (Tamazight or Amazigh) official recognition. This would put Berber, which was introduced as a national language in some schools in 2002, on […]

Imagine coming home from a long vacation and finding out that the language you used to speak has evolved into something unrecognisable. Your father insists on being addressed as mdosi and your girlfriend will only respond to mshakaji. Oh and forget about buying cigarettes – since you’ve been gone, a rapper has popularised a new word […]