• In the language itself: ⵜⴰⵔⵉⴼⵉⵜ
• ISO 639-3 standard: language's ISO 639-3-code

^{Click here for a full overview of the language vitality colour codes.}

• Classification: Afro-Asiatic → Tamazight → Tarifit. For more information, see Berber Languages and Linguistics at Oxford Biblio
• Script: Tifinagh (Libyco-Berber script)

Tarifit, or Tamaziɣt n Arrif, is a Northern Amazigh language spoken in Morocco’s Rif region and by Amazigh communities in Melilla, Spain, where it is used informally and has no official status ¹⁾. Although Tarifit itself is not independently standardized, it contributes to Morocco’s Standard Moroccan Amazigh, a unified written form combining the main Amazigh varieties; Tashelhit, Central Atlas Tamazight, and Tarifit—under the guidance of the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture (IRCAM), which manages orthography, grammar, and lexicon using the Neo-Tifinagh script ²⁾.

According to the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages ³⁾. Amazigh (Tarifit) is traditionally spoken in the Autonomous City of Melilla, in northern Africa on the Spanish mainland border. Within Melilla, the language is present among native speakers, but no official linguistic map exists, and the exact distribution of speakers across the city is unknown. Outside Melilla, Amazigh (Tarifit) is spoken primarily by recent immigrant communities, especially in Catalonia and other urban areas of Spain. The absence of systematic surveys or official data complicates precise mapping of the language’s presence. See Amazigh in Melilla for more information and Alpha Omega for a basic map of minority languages in Spain.

The exact number of Amazigh (Tarifit) speakers in Spain is to date unknown. In the City of Melilla, earlier estimates state that around 40% of the population may speak the language. Outside of Melilla, Amazigh is mainly used by immigrant communities, particularly in Catalonia ⁴⁾. Although the Fifth Report (2014–2016) stated that Spain aimed to conduct population censuses by ethnic group to map Amazigh speakers by neighbourhood and district, recent reports note that little progress has been made in collecting updated and reliable data, making it difficult to determine the current number of speakers across Spain. This also explains the lack of data outside the city of Melilla.

Amazigh (Tarifit) in Melilla, recognized under Part II of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, which makes its institutional recognition remains limited. In Melilla, Castilian is the main language of instruction, and only a few teachers speak Amazigh ⁵⁾. The Amazigh spoken in Melilla is primarily transmitted orally within families and communities.⁶⁾

Amazigh is excluded from the mainstream school system. Earlier initiatives such as teacher training, the creation of an Institute of the Amazigh Language, and pilot projects to introduce the language into classrooms have since been discontinued due to funding and policy limitations ⁷⁾. Current provision is limited to non-formal courses offered by training centers, while academic research is carried out at universities in Cádiz and Granada ⁸⁾. Recent studies highlight that this gap in institutional support contributes to the perception of Amazigh as a community language rather than a fully legitimized medium of education ⁹⁾. Learning resources for Amazigh in Melilla remain scarce. Some experimental approaches, such as teaching through music, have been attempted but not integrated into formal schooling ¹⁰⁾.

In Melilla, Castilian Spanish is the only official language, as established in the city’s Statute of Autonomy. Amazigh, although widely spoken, does not have any legal framework securing its presence in schools ¹¹⁾. Past efforts, such as teacher training schemes and plans for an Amazigh language institute, were never consolidated due to financial and political limitations. At present, Amazigh teaching is confined to voluntary, non-formal courses, while public education remains exclusively in Castilian. This lack of legislative backing reinforces its status as a community language rather than an institutional one ¹²⁾.

Amazigh (Tarifit), spoken mainly in the autonomous city of Melilla, reflects the historical and cultural presence of North African communities in Spain. Its legal status, however, remains weak. Spain ratified the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML) in 2001 and is also a party to the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM). Under the ECRML, Amazigh is covered by Part II, which obliges the state to promote and safeguard the language in cultural and educational life. Unlike the stronger protections of Part III, this designation does not grant co-official status or guarantee the use of Amazigh in administration, courts, or education ¹³⁾ Spain’s participation in the FCNM has similarly provided only limited support for Amazigh communities. The national government has not formally recognised Amazigh speakers as a national minority under this treaty. In practice, the Convention’s protections are understood to apply mainly to the Roma community, leaving Amazigh speakers outside its scope ¹⁴⁾. Advisory bodies and civil society organisations have urged Spain to expand the reach of the Convention to include Amazigh communities, but this has not yet been implemented. The consequences of this partial recognition are significant. Unlike Catalan, Basque, or Galician, Amazigh lacks a statutory basis in Spain’s legal framework, including the Statute of Autonomy of Melilla, which declares Castilian as the sole official language. As a result, there is no obligation for schools to teach Amazigh, for public services to provide information in the language, or for it to appear in official media or documentation. Its presence in education remains marginal, resources for interpretation and teaching are scarce, and its use in public administration is not guaranteed. The Committee of Experts monitoring the ECRML has repeatedly highlighted these gaps and recommended that Spain adopt stronger measures to support Amazigh communities ¹⁵⁾. Overall, Amazigh in Spain occupies an ambiguous position. It is acknowledged symbolically through the Charter but lacks the legal and institutional recognition needed for intergenerational transmission and public use. Civil society groups continue to call for more robust measures, including statutory recognition in Melilla and expanded educational and cultural provisions ¹⁶⁾. ¹⁷⁾.

Spanish law does not officially recognise Amazigh (Tarifit) as part of the national education framework. The Organic Law on Education ensures the teaching of Castilian (Spanish) across the country and protects the rights of regions with co-official languages such as Catalan, Basque, and Galician. Amazigh, however, is excluded from these guarantees and does not benefit from comparable legal provisions ¹⁸⁾. Concerning its teaching in schools, there are no legal measures requiring Amazigh to be offered as a subject in Melilla or elsewhere. Instruction is delivered exclusively in Castilian, and Amazigh is absent from the compulsory curriculum ¹⁹⁾. Regarding its use as a medium of instruction, the situation is equally restrictive. Castilian is the only legally required language of schooling in Melilla, and unlike the co-official languages of other autonomous communities, Amazigh cannot be used to teach other subjects ²⁰⁾. Finally, there is no legal provision making the teaching or use of Amazigh compulsory. Since it is not a co-official language and is not included in the Statute of Autonomy of Melilla, the state has no obligation to support its transmission in schools. This legal vacuum leaves Amazigh with no institutional backing and dependent largely on community use in private and informal domains ²¹⁾.

Amazigh (Tarifit) has no official recognition in Melilla. The Statute of Autonomy of Melilla (Ley Orgánica 2/1995) establishes Castilian as the sole official language of the city (Art. 5) and does not mention Amazigh ²²⁾. Consequently, there are no local laws, policies, or administrative measures supporting the use of Amazigh in education, public administration, or official communications ²³⁾.

At the national level, the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training sets broad educational policies, but implementation and supervision of language instruction are primarily decentralized to regional authorities. Unlike co-official languages such as Catalan, Basque, or Galician, Amazigh has no dedicated curricula, teacher training programs, or formal teaching materials ²⁴⁾. Monitoring of Spain’s compliance with minority language obligations is conducted by the . The Council of Europe’s Committee of Experts under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML) has noted that, while Spain has developed structures to support regional and minority languages, the lack of statutory recognition for Amazigh limits institutional oversight, teacher support, and quality assurance measures. Consequently, the language’s presence in formal education remains minimal, with no compulsory instruction or systematic evaluation ²⁵⁾. ²⁶⁾.

Amazigh in Melilla receives minimal institutional support. There is no government body at the national or regional level that actively promotes the language in schools or in public administration. There is no specific mandate or program found or at least known for the promotion of Amazigh. Civil society organizations are the primary actors supporting Amazigh cultural and educational initiatives ²⁷⁾.

There is no dedicated public funding for the teaching of Amazigh in Melilla. Schools in the region do not receive government subsidies for teacher employment, curricula, or teaching materials in Amazigh. Any resources for the language come from community initiatives rather than regional or national authorities ²⁸⁾.

Officially, no government-commissioned or subsidized materials for teaching Amazigh exist in Melilla. Learning resources are largely informal, created and distributed by local community groups or NGOs and even these are not accessible or easily found online. While some free online lessons exist, they are not tailored to Melilla or the Spanish context. As a result, teaching materials are limited in both quality and availability, and there is no standardized curriculum ²⁹⁾.

There is no formal training or certification program for Amazigh language teachers in Melilla. Educators do not have access to state-subsidized courses or professional development opportunities specific to Amazigh instruction. Although some initiatives were attempted in the past, teacher training programs were discontinued due to insufficient funding. As a result, there are very few qualified teachers (only 6.5% of teachers speak Amazigh), and no institutional body exists to provide guidance, support, or advice for educators ³⁰⁾.

Amazigh in Melilla is not systematically taught at any level, from preschool through higher education, and adult courses are absent. Because of this, school-based instruction plays a minimal role in preserving the language, and there is little evidence that learning it at school encourages its use outside the classroom. The lack of formal education also means that Amazigh gains limited prestige and does not significantly enhance speakers’ self-esteem as it is restricted to informal settings as the language of the home ^{31) 32)}.

Amazigh is not used as a medium of instruction in preschool education in Melilla. There are no structured preschool programs, formal evaluation, or teaching hours dedicated to the language. Children are primarily exposed to Castilian, and any early contact with Amazigh occurs informally at home or in the community ^{33) 34)}.

Amazigh is rarely taught in primary schools and only through informal community initiatives. It is not part of the official curriculum, and there are no allocated teaching hours, formal assessment, or proficiency targets. Consequently, primary education does not contribute to preservation or reinforcement of the language ^{35) 36)}.

Amazigh is not included in secondary education. No grades formally include Amazigh in lessons, and it is not used as a medium of instruction. Where it is present, instruction relies on voluntary or community-led activities, reaching very few students. As such, secondary education has little impact on broader language use or prestige ^{37) 38)}.

There are no vocational courses or study programs in Melilla that offer Amazigh instruction. Language education at this level is entirely absent for Amazigh ³⁹⁾.

Amazigh is not taught or studied at university level in Melilla or elsewhere in Spain as part of accredited programs. Academic study of the language is limited to specialized linguistic or cultural research by a few scholars, and such work is considerably less developed in Spain than in Morocco ⁴⁰⁾.

Formal adult courses in Amazigh do not exist. Learning opportunities are limited to informal initiatives led by community groups or NGOs, which reach only a small number of participants. For native Amazigh adults, the language is primarily maintained through intergenerational transmission rather than structured instruction ^{41) 42)}.

There are no official online courses or platforms for learning Amazigh in Melilla. Learning is limited to informal local initiatives, and while general Amazigh resources exist online, they are not specific to Melilla.

Amazigh Cultural Association in Melilla

The Amazigh Cultural Association in Melilla is a community-based group offering informal language courses, workshops, and cultural events. It lacks official recognition or funding, reaching mainly voluntary participants. There is no online presence, and it was identified through searches for Amazigh lessons in Melilla.

Azetta Amazigh

Azetta Amazigh is a Moroccan NGO promoting the Amazigh language and culture. While its main activities are in Morocco, its advocacy symbolically supports community efforts in Melilla, though it provides no direct educational resources locally. Azetta

https://alphaomegatranslations.com/foreign-language/four-languages-you-didnt-know-were-from-spain | Alpha Omega - Languages in Spain

https://www.azetta.org/en/home | Azetta

https://rm.coe.int/spainecrml6-en/1680b1b32d | Sixth report of the Committee of Experts on Spain under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages

https://rm.coe.int/spainiria5-en-pdf/1680a15366 | Ministerio de Política Territorial y Función Pública

https://www.coe.int/en/web/minorities/spain | Spain and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities

https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-1995-6951 | Statute of Autonomy of Melilla

https://lt4all.elra.info/media/papers/O8/170.pdf| The IRCAM Realizations for the Amazigh Preservation and Revitalization in Morocco

https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2024.2417970 | The Amazigh language in Melilla (Spain): an approach to its uses and meanings