Shawiya, or Shawiya Berber, also spelt Chaouïa (native form: Tacawit ), is a Zenati Berber language spoken in Algeria by the Shawiya people. The language's primary speech area is the Awras Mountains in Eastern Algeria and the surrounding areas, including parts of Western Tunisia, including Batna, Khenchela, Sétif, Oum El Bouaghi, Souk Ahras, Tébessa and the northern part of Biskra. It is closely related to the Shenwa language of Central Algeria. Language The Shawiya people call their language Tacawit (Thashawith) ( or ). Estimates of number of speakers range from 1.4 to 3 million speakers. The French spelling of Chaouïa is commonly seen, due to the influence of French conventions on Algeria. Other spellings are "Chaoui", "Shawia", "Tachawit", "Thachawith", "Tachaouith" and "Thchèwith". In Shawiya, the leading – pronounced in that phonetic environment – is often reduced to an , so the native name is often heard as Hašawiθ. Shawiya Berber was, until recently, an unwritten language and rarely taught at school. As the Shawiya people were predominantly rural and secluded, they often code-switch to Algerian Arabic, French or even English to discuss non-traditional technology and sociological concerns. Recently, the Shawiya language, together with the Kabyle language, has begun to achieve some cultural and media prominence thanks to the Berber cultural and political movements in Algeria and to the introduction of Berber language education in some public schools. Phonology Vowels can also be laxed as . Consonants All consonants are geminated tense positions. The tense equivalents of the spirants are the plosives . Simple do not occur, and simple is apparently uncommon. Sounds are only heard when /n/ precedes semivowels /j, w/. Sounds are only heard when in tense positions. Bibliography Abouba, K., Morphologie nominale du Chaoui, Montréal, Université de Montréal, (1993), [Thèse]. Aïchi, H., «La tradition de la poésie populaire chantée des Chaouias d’Algérie», Horizons maghrébiens, 20–21, Toulouse, (1993), p. 176-178. Amaghestan, Y., Th'chèwith: Racines de la mémoire: Mémoire des racines, Auto-édition, (2004). Basset, A., Atlas linguistique des parlers berbères, Alger, Institut d'Études Orientales, (1936 et 1939), [+ cartes]. Basset, A., «Berbère isnin (tous les deux)», Comptes Rendus du Groupe Linguistique d’Études Chamito-Sémitique, 4, Paris, (1946), p. 19-20. Basset, A., De nouveau à propos du nom de l’île de fer (Canaries) ; sur la toponymie berbère et spécialement sur la toponymie chaouia des Ait Frah (Département de Constantine), Paris, Lyon, (1948). Basset, A., «La mise à part. Faits berbères», Comptes