Tachawit

Shawiya
Chaouïa
Tacawit
Pronunciation	[θʃawɪθ]
Native to	Algeria
Region	Aurès Mountains ( Batna, Khenchela, Oum El Bouaghi, Souk Ahras, Tébessa)
Native speakers	1.4 million (1993)
Language family	Afro-Asiatic Berber Northern Zenati Shawiya
Language codes
ISO 639-3
Glottolog	tach1249
Geographic distribution of Shawiya dialects in northeastern Algeria
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Shawiya or Shawiya Berber, also spelled Chaouïa (native form: Tacawit [θaʃawiθ]), 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 Batna, Khenchela, Sétif, Oum El Bouaghi, Souk Ahras, Tébessa and the northern part of Biskra.

The Shawiya people call their language Tacawit (Thashawith) (IPA: [θʃawɪθ] or [hʃawɪθ]), which is also known as Numidian Berber. 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 /t/ - pronounced [θ] in that phonetic environment - is often reduced to an /h/, 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.