Berber orthography

Berber orthography is the writing system(s) used to transcribe the Berber languages.

In antiquity, the Libyco-Berber script was utilized to write Berber languages. Early uses of the script have been found on rock art and in various sepulchres. Usage of this script, in the form of Tifinagh, has continued into the present day among the Tuareg people.

Following the spread of Islam, some Berber scholars utilized the Arabic script. Excluding among the Tuareg people, the Arabic script became the dominant form of Berber orthography.

The Berber Latin alphabet was developed following the introduction of the Latin script in the nineteenth century by the West. The nineteenth century also saw the development of Neo-Tifinagh, an adaptation of Tuareg Tifinagh for use with other Berber languages.

There are now three writing systems in use for Berber languages: Tifinagh, the Arabic script, and the Berber Latin alphabet. Different groups in North Africa have different preferences of writing system, often motivated by ideology and politics. With the exception of one text transcribed in Hebraic square alphabet, no other systems are known to have been used to transcribe the Berber languages.