Languages of Libya
See language map.Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, al-Jamahiriyah al-Arabiya al-Libya al-Shabiya al-Ishtirakiya. 5,918,000. 500,000 resident foreign workers (1986 USA Today). National or official language: Standard Arabic. Literacy rate: 22%–60%. Immigrant languages: Bulgarian (2,700), Eastern Panjabi (54,000), Egyptian Spoken Arabic (500,000), English (10,200), French (6,120), Greek (6,120), Hassaniyya Arabic (40,000), Italian (22,500), Korean (11,500), Maltese (5,400), Mandarin Chinese (1,730), Moroccan Spoken Arabic (228,000), Serbian (21,500), Sinhala (12,200), South Levantine Spoken Arabic (54,000), Sudanese Spoken Arabic (227,000), Swahili (2,000), Tagalog (10,200), Ta’izzi-Adeni Spoken Arabic (98,000), Tedaga (2,000), Tunisian Spoken Arabic (159,000), Western Cham, Zaghawa (7,000). Also includes languages of laborers from Sudan, North Africa, Chad, Korea, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Europe. Information mainly from J. Applegate 1970; D. Cohen 1985. Deaf institutions: 2. The number of individual languages listed for Libya is 9. Of those, all are living languages.
| Arabic, Libyan Spoken | [ayl]
4,000,000 in Libya (2006). Population total all countries: 4,321,000. Especially north half. Also in Egypt, Niger.
Alternate names: Libyan Vernacular Arabic, Sulaimitian Arabic, Western Egyptian Bedawi Spoken Arabic.
Dialects: Tripolitanian Arabic, Southern Libyan Arabic, Eastern Libyan Arabic. In the west it is similar to Bedouin Arabic of southern Tunisia [aeb].
Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, South, Arabic
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| Arabic, Standard | [arb]
Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, South, Arabic
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| Awjilah | [auj]
3,000 (2000). Women are monolingual. East, Cyrenaica.
Alternate names: Aoudjila, Augila, Aujila.
Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Berber, Eastern, Awjila-Sokna
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| Domari | [rmt]
33,000 in Libya (2006).
Dialects: Helebi.
Classification: Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Central zone, Dom
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| Ghadamès | [gha]
10,000 in Libya (2006). Population total all countries: 12,000. Ghadamès, a small oasis near Algeria-Tunisia border. Also in Tunisia.
Dialects: Ayt Waziten, Elt Ulid.
Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Berber, Northern, Zenati, East
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| Libyan Sign Language | [lbs]
Classification: Deaf sign language
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| Nafusi | [jbn]
184,000 in Libya (2006). Population total all countries: 210,000. West, Jabal Nafusah region, Tripolitania, Nalut and Yafran area isolated; Zuara coast, west of Tripoli. Also in Tunisia.
Alternate names: Djerbi, Jabal Nafusi, Jbel Nafusi, Jebel Nefusi, Nefusi.
Dialects: Zuara (Zouara, Zuwarah, Zwara, Zuraa), Tamezret (Duwinna), Jerbi (Jerba). Zuara dialect well known in Jebel Nafusa area and in Jerba Tunisia. Some visit Zuara, but not vice versa. Matmata and Tatawine area less well understood by speakers in Jerba or Zuara. Speakers in Zuara and Jebel areas understand Jerba dialect stories well.
Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Berber, Northern, Zenati, East
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| Sawknah | [swn]
5,600 (2006). Tripolitania.
Alternate names: Sokna.
Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Berber, Eastern, Awjila-Sokna
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| Tamahaq, Tahaggart | [thv]
17,000 in Libya (2006). Hoggar in south Hoggar (Ajjer) Mountain area, Tamanrasset area; south into Niger; Ghat is southeast, Ganet and west Libya oases, Ghat area.
Alternate names: Tamachek, Tamashekin, Tomachek, Tourage, Toureg, Tuareg.
Dialects: Hoggar (Ahaggaren, Ajjer, Tahaggart), Ghat (Ganet, Djanet).
Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Berber, Tamasheq, Northern
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