Moroccan educators launch campaign to defend Amazigh 'Tifinagh' alphabet

Educational figures in Morocco are initiating a scientific and academic campaign to counter recent criticisms leveled against the Amazigh "Tifinagh" alphabet. This move comes 23 years after Tifinagh was officially adopted by royal decree in February 2003.

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The discussion about the adopted writing system should be based on scientific data and field experiences in education, rather than remaining captive to personal positions and impressions that date back to the 'battle of scripts' at the beginning of the millennium.

The campaign aims to shift the discourse surrounding the writing system from personal opinions and psychological stances to a foundation of scientific data and practical educational experience. Proponents argue that many of the recent attacks on Tifinagh lack decisive evidence and that educational responses can effectively address the perceived weaknesses in these critiques. They contend that the writing system itself is not the cause of limited Amazigh language learning.

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Most of them represent an attack not based on decisive data, and educational responses are sufficient to show the weaknesses of these discourses that still consider the script a reason for the limited spread of learning Tamazight.

Mustafa Omouch, an educational academic and inspector for the Amazigh language, champions Tifinagh, stating it is the easiest script for Moroccan learners in their first year. He attributes this ease to the alphabet's transparency and clarity, characterized by simple geometric shapes that are less complex than those found in other scripts. Omouch also highlighted that, unlike some Arabic letters that change form depending on their position in a word, Tifinagh letters maintain their shape, simplifying the learning process for young children.

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The easiest script for the Moroccan learner in the first level is the Tifinagh script.

Furthermore, Omouch explained that the direct correlation between writing and pronunciation in Amazigh, where every written character is pronounced, contributes to the script's transparency and aids children in connecting letters with their corresponding sounds. He cited field experience and scientific studies, including one by the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture, which confirm Tifinagh's ease of learning for both native and non-native speakers. Within approximately three months of instruction, learners can master all Tifinagh characters. Omouch concluded that Tifinagh uniquely represents the specific phonetic characteristics of the Amazigh language, which are difficult to capture accurately with Latin or Arabic scripts.

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This characteristic makes it easier for the learner, especially a 6-year-old child, to have a writing system that is simple in form and easy to acquire.