Requests for new languages/Wikipedia Tunisian

Tunisian Language Wikipedia

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Requests for new languages (Wikipedia Tunisian)

submitted verification final decision Discuss the creation of this language project on this page. Votes will be ignored when judging the proposal. Please provide arguments or reasons and be prepared to defend them (see the Language proposal policy). (See an unofficial analysis of this request.) This proposal is on hold: On hold pending further discussion. Clarification and exploration of previous Algero-Moroccan proposal, and Maghrebi Arabic/Darija proposal, is requested.

Proposal summary
Language details: Tunisian (Tounsi, aeb ISO 639-3) Editing community: csisc (N); elhic (N) List your user name if you're interested in editing the wiki. Add "N" next to your name if you are a native speaker of this language. Relevant pages: development wiki project (test project) similar previous request (closed) External links: [1] - [2] -
Please read the handbook for requesters for help using this template correctly.

Tunisian Arabic Language Presentation

The Tunisian formely known as Darija, Tu:nsi or Tounsi, is one of the dialects of Arabic Language. Spoken in Tunisia, this one is the native language and mother tongue of over than 11 million tunisians... The best thing in this language that it seems like Maltese... and it can be written both in Latin Letters or Arabic Ones. Tunisian Young People use this language a lot: in communication, in business, and ever in writing letters and SMS...

Benefits of a Tunisian Arabic Wikipedia

The fact of creating Tunisian Arabic Wikipedia offers to analphabet Tunisian many privileges and advantages as well. These people (over than 15 percent of Tunisian People) can thanks to a understood language Wikipedia profite from the best e-source of knowledge and information in a better way Furthermore, tunisian people will have the occasion to discuss and express his opinion in many important and interesting subjects and topics.

Arguments in Favour

• Since it is a fashion to write in Tunisian Arabic, it would be good to create a Tunisian Wikipedia
• Tunisian illiterates or even tunisians who have not good skills in Former Arabic, French, English &c... will have the occasion to express themselves
• Tunisian Arabic is understood in other nearest countries such as Libya and Algeria
• Tunisian Arabic is known by all tunisians. So, pages in a such language will be understood quickly and will create a kind of interaction between people and wikipedia
• it is unjust that languages spoken by a few persons have their own wikipedia, while, Tunisian Wikipedia which is spoken by over than 11 million people have not one
• It is the main language used in Tunisian films, series, TV shows, songs and in all the cultural life of Tunisia.
• It can be understood by many people of Tunisian descent, outside Tunisia (particularly in France, N.B.: Tunisians in foreign countries are over 3 million (Census of the Office of Tunisians in foreign Countries ONT)
• The same words may have different meanings in Tunisian and in Arabic. And although their origin is Arabic, their meaning in Tunisian has changed from the original.
• Tunisian is a mix of many Mediterranean languages from Berbere to French. So, some world may have the same spelling than Arabic words, but they are origined from other languages: That's why it might be a misunderstanding of a wikipedia article written in Arabic.
• Many dictionaries have already been edited for this language, from the 19th century to this day.
• Many Courses are offered to learn Tunisian which is for Tunisians "The language of ancestors and grandsons"
• Tunisian Arabic is valuable for Tunisians. They're proud of it... and if wikipedia accepts lauching the Tunisian Arabic Wikipedia, many tunisians will be encouraged to enter to the community of Wikiprojects and most of them will edit articles about Tunisian cultures as well.
• From the early 1970s, many linguistics worked to gather the vocabulary and the rules of Tunisian such as Mr. Taieb Baccouche, Acting Minister of Education and Spokesman in the actual Tunisian Goverment and Saleh Mejri and Skik.

Arguments against

• Tunsiian Arabic is a dialect not a language
• No resources are written in Tunisian, it is only spoken. How can a Tunisian Wikipedia grow without such resources ?
• No official scipt is used for that dialect. The choice in that discussion will not be based on any language regulation decision.
• No motivated persons accept the guy proposing.
• No official status for the Tunisian Arabic in Tunisia and any there is the world. The official language of Tunisian is Arabic. --Helmoony 03:28, 10 June 2011 (UTC)
• Oppose --U.Steele 19:39, 29 July 2011 (UTC)
• Oppose although I do see bible portions as early as c 1900 I feel that such a project is doomed with an arabic encyclopedia at it's side and only one willing participant, we need a higher litmus for borderline dialect-languages.Luciferwildcat (talk) 03:53, 31 March 2012 (UTC)

Other discussion

• Since it is a fashion to write in Tunisian Arabic, it would be good to create a Tunisian Wikipedia

We are not talking about fashion here but about an online encyclopedia that have to be updated daily.

• Tunisian illiterates or even tunisians who have not good skills in Former Arabic, French, English &c... will have the occasion to express themselves

Illiterates in Tunisia learn Arabic to know how to read not Tunisian [3].--Helmoony 03:17, 10 June 2011 (UTC)

• Tunisian Arabic is understood in other nearest countries such as Libya and Algeria

So what ? have you ever learnt about Dialect continuum--Helmoony 03:17, 10 June 2011 (UTC)

• Tunisian Arabic is known by all tunisians. So, pages in a such language will be understood quickly and will create a kind of interaction between people and wikipedia

There is no such serious websites on the web. Ara you going to write in Arabic, latin, maltease script ? Are you going to use 3 5 7 9 in the words ? And hwho are you to decide ? is their any Academic source that has already worked on that project ? --Helmoony 03:17, 10 June 2011 (UTC)

• it is unjust that languages spoken by a few persons have their own wikipedia, while, Tunisian Wikipedia which is spoken by over than 11 million people have not one

Why not if they are languages ? That's not argument --Helmoony 03:17, 10 June 2011 (UTC)

• It is the main language used in Tunisian films, series, TV shows, songs and in all the cultural life of Tunisia.

But always spoken not written because it is a dialect --Helmoony 03:17, 10 June 2011 (UTC)

• It can be understood by many people of Tunisian descent, outside Tunisia (particularly in France, N.B.: Tunisians in foreign countries are over 3 million (Census of the Office of Tunisians in foreign Countries ONT)

3 millions outside Tunisia ? The source says 1 million [4], any way that is not an argument --Helmoony 03:17, 10 June 2011 (UTC)

• The same words may have different meanings in Tunisian and in Arabic. And although their origin is Arabic, their meaning in Tunisian has changed from the original.

And it is the same thing for American English and English --Helmoony 03:17, 10 June 2011 (UTC)

• Tunisian is a mix of many Mediterranean languages from Berbere to French. So, some world may have the same spelling than Arabic words, but they are origined from other languages: That's why it might be a misunderstanding of a wikipedia article written in Arabic.

What do you mean by misunderstood ? --Helmoony 03:17, 10 June 2011 (UTC)

• Many dictionaries have already been edited for this language, from the 19th century to this day.

Please give references that says that those dictionaries are dealing with Tunisian Arabic as a language --Helmoony 03:17, 10 June 2011 (UTC)

• Many Courses are offered to learn Tunisian which is for Tunisians "The language of ancestors and grandsons"

So what ? Many courses of many dialectes in the world are learned.

• Tunisian Arabic is valuable for Tunisians. They're proud of it... and if wikipedia accepts lauching the Tunisian Arabic Wikipedia, many tunisians will be encouraged to enter to the community of Wikiprojects and most of them will edit articles about Tunisian cultures as well.

Proud about id as a dialect, what I see now that you are ther only that want to create that wiki.

• From the early 1970s, many linguistics worked to gather the vocabulary and the rules of Tunisian such as Mr. Taieb Baccouche, Acting Minister of Education and Spokesman in the actual Tunisian Goverment and Saleh Mejri and Skik.

Give resources, and that explicetly say that Tunisian Arabic is a language --Helmoony 03:17, 10 June 2011 (UTC)

Compromise proposal: Maghrebi Arabic Wikipedia

How about a Wikipedia in Maghrebi Arabic, instead of having 4 separate Wikipedias for Tunisian, Algerian, Moroccan and Libyan? This way, we do not split efforts, and we don't risk POV issues related to nationalism. The only obstacle is that right now there is no ISO code for Maghrebi Arabic language, but this is a solvable problem. --Node ue 05:15, 17 July 2011 (UTC)

This could also be called a Darija Wikipedia (used for Maghrebi Arabic just as for Tunisian, the latter noted by the requestor). –SJ talk | translate  

This does not make any sense because the three or four different dialects across the maghreb (morrocan, algerian, tunisian and lybian) are so different that it is hard for people to understand each other. Making one unified wikipedia for all of them would not serve any purpose. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 130.54.130.227 (talk • contribs) .

Northwest African Arabic

Please, take a look at Requests for new languages/Wikipedia Northwest African Arabic and discuss there about the possibility to create Northwest African Arabic (Maghrebi) Wikipedia. --Millosh 23:14, 18 July 2011 (UTC)