Numidian language
Numidian was a language spoken in ancient Numidia. Although the script in which it was written, Libyco-Berber (from which Tifinagh descended), has been almost fully deciphered, the language has not. Libyco-Berber inscriptions are attested from the 3rd century BC to the 3rd century AD. The language is scarcely attested and can be confidently identified only as belonging to the Afroasiatic family. Dialects and relation to other languages. It is unknown how closely related the old Libyan language(s) were related to eachother. It is known that there was a dialectical and ortographical difference between the western and  eastern Numidian language. Starting at Kabylia, which was a kind of mixed regions, the regions to the east used the east-Libyc writing system, while the regions to the west all the way to approximately the Moulouya river spoke the western Numidian dialect, and used the larger and still undecoded west-Libyc writing system. The East-Numidian dialect was much more influenced by the Punic language than the West-Numidian, and West-Numidian is thought to be more ancient than East-Numidian. It is also unknown wether the Mauretanian language of the neighbouring Kingdom of Mauretania in what is approximately  modern day Morocco formed a part of the Numidian language, or was a separate language from it, as there has been as of yet no major efforts into decoding it. Not much is known of the Numidian language, and even less of Berber or Proto-Berber languages and dialects at this time, although it is known that for example the language of the native Berbers of Cyrenaica contained many Greek loanwords according to Herodotus. Categorization and reconstruction. As the Massylii, who spoke the language, were ethnically Berber, it is supposed that Numidian was therefore a Berber language. The Berber branch  of Afro-Asiatic is sometimes called "Libyco-Berber" since it is not certain whether Numidian would fall within the modern Berber languages or form a sister branch to them. Some theorize that it constituted a group of its own, as there is no trace of the noun-case system shared by the modern Berber languages. However, Proto-Berber is theorized to have no grammatical case either, which would also imply a later addition of the system. The Lybico-Berber tifinagh and the Phoenician alphabet being abjads without vowels complicates the matter even more. Work on deciphering the language has not  been decisive, although especially recently some tried to reconstruct words by comparing Numidian script to proto and modern Berber languages. Most remaining scripts are funerary, and follow the formula of ""X w-Y"" (X son of Y). BNS is also an often returning words in this script, which probably meant "tomb of". Many words had an H at the end of them, the function of which is unclear. A few gravestones show a different word between the two personal names, plausibly interpreted as a kinship term based on Berber comparisons: "wlt" "daughter (of)" (modern Berber "wəlt"), and, more rarely, "mt  mother (of)" (modern Tuareg "ma"). Similar to the modern berber languages, the ta-...-t circumfix signified feminine version of the word with a silent h added to the end . In the Dougga inscriptions some political positions are mentioned, such as "gld" (lord) which based on this technique, can be translated into the modern berber word "agellid" which originates from the proto-berber word ""*a-gəllid"." A few verbs have been unambiguously identified in the various inscriptions. Comparison with modern Berber suggests that ṣkn, probably read as "eṣ(ə)k-n based on modern berber comparison which means"built" is to be analysed as  ṣk "build" plus -n, marking 3pl subject agreement ("-ən)." An example of translation using this method can be demonstrated on a part of a Numidian inscription which is read as ""Msnsn. gldt. w-gjj"." "Msnsn" is the name of king Massinissa while "gldt" is the word for king"." Finally, "w-gjj" means "son of Gaia". Thus by attempting to translate the Numidian text through modern and proto-Berber the inscription would read ""Massinissa the king, son of Gaia"". Numidian also featured and shared most or all of it's prepositions "n" (of) and "d" (and) with modern Berber, along with  various prefixes, such as "ta...-t", "m-" etc. with modern Berber. These facts would strongly suggest that Numidian is a now extinct branch of the Berber languages, although this is not completely accepted and some linguists still criticize this theory. Known words. Here is a comparison of the few known Numidian words to modern Northern Berber languages and the tuareg Tamashek language. Normalized words with vowels added are written in the brackets This comparison suggests that Numidian may be closest to the modern Northern Berber languages such as the Zenati languages, Shilha language, and the Kabyle language although the modern  northern Berber languages have gone through grammatical changes, and they have also taken loanwords from Arabic, Latin, and French. Kabyle may be the closest to Numidian, but has absorbed loanwords and phrases from the other languages mentioned. According to many linguists the H at the end of many numidian words were either silent or disappeared by modern times, or that in many cases such as MSWH or MWSNH was possibly used as a replacement for, or possibly was the ancestor of the modern berber "ɣ sound." Thugga inscription. The Thugga inscription is the longest known Numidian inscription as of yet , and has served with the most clues regarding the language. Numidian script "ṢKN•TBGG•BNYFŠ•MSNSN•GLDṮ•WGYY•GLDṮ•WZLLSN•ŠFṬ SBSNDH•GLDṮ•SYSH•GLD•MKWSN ŠFṬ•GLDṮ•WFŠN•MWSNG•ŠNK•WBNY•WŠNK•DŠFṬ•WM WTNKW•MṢṢKW•MGN•WYRŠTB•WSDYLN•GẒB•MGN•WŠFṬ•MW WŠMN•GLDṮ•GLDGMYL•ZMR•WMSNF•WŠMN•GLDMṢK•M WŠYN•GLDṮ•WMGN•GLDṮ•ṬNYN•ŠYN•WNKKN•WFṬŠ•DR ŠFṬ•WŠNK•" Normalization and adding of known or possible vowels "əṣk(ə)-n Tubgag BNYFŠ[?] Masnsen a-gəllidṯ u-Gayya a-gəllidṯ u-Zelalsen šufeṭ" "Asəbbas NDH a-gəllidṯ(?) s-yusa a-gəllid Mikiwsan" Translation from Punic The people of Thugga built this temple for Masinissa the King son of Gaia the King son of Zilalsan the Judge, in the tenth year since Micipsa ruled, in the year of Shufet the King son of Afshan the King, The Centurion: Shanok son of Banay and Shufet  son of Magon son of Tanaku. The "ms s kwy" Magon son of Yirashtan son of Sadyalan, and "gzby": Magon son of Shufet the Centurion son of Abdeshmun the King. Erectors of this property: Ashyan son of Ankikan son of Patash and Arash son of Shufet son of Shanok. Example texts. These texts are examples of bilingual inscriptions with known meanings, most of which are funerary texts Bilingual texts. Cenotaph inscription. Punic "[mn]ṣbt š'ṭbn bn ypmṭt bn plw" "hbnm š'bnm ʕb'rš bn ʕbdštrt" "zmr bn 'ṭbn bn ypmṭt bn plw" "mngy bn wrsbn" "wb'zrt šl' **t* zzy wṭmn wwrskn" "hḥršm  šyr msdl bn nnpsn w'nkn b[n] 'šy" "hnskm šbrzl špṭ bll wppy bn bby" Punic to English translation "The monument of 'ṭbn son of Ypmṭt son of Plw.  Builders of the stones: ʕb'rš son of ʕbdštrt; Zmr son of 'ṭbn son of Ypmṭt son of Plw; Mngy son of Wrsbn.  And for its ???, Zzy son of Ṭmn and Wrskn.  Workers of the wood: Msdl son of Nnpsn and 'nkn son of 'šy. Casters of the iron: Šfṭ son of Bll and Ppy son of Bby." Numidian "****N WYFMṬT W*******DRŠ WWDŠTR*****BN WYFMṬṮ WFLWMNGY WWRSKNKSLNS ŻŻY WṬMN WRSKNNBBN NŠ[Q]RH MSDL WNNFSN NKN  WŠYNB*N NZLH ŠFṬ WBLL FFY WBBY" Normalization and adding of known or possible vowels "Aṭeban w-Yefmaṭat w-Falu****D'rš w-Wadaštar" "Zamir w-Aṭeban w-Yefmaṭat w-Falu" "Mangy w-Wareskan" "KSLNS Żaży w-Ṭaman w-Raskn" "NBBN NŠ[Q]RH Masdil w-Nanafsen Naken w-šy" "NB*N N(u)Z(a)LH Šufeṭ w-Balil Fafy W-Beby" The translation of the words outside of personal names in the text still debated, although in the last line what was translated in Punic as "casters of iron" is shown in Numidian as "NB*N NZLH". In most modern Berber languages the word for iron is ""uzzal"" which  is a "Wanderwort", and in this Numidian script it can be assumed that NZLH can be reconstructed a "n-uzzal-h" based on comparison with modern Berber. Kef Beni Fredj inscriptions. Latin "SACTUT•IHIMIR F•VIXIT•ANORVM•LXX H[SE]" Latin to English Sactut son of Ihimir lived 70 years. [He is buried here.] Numidian "ZKTT WYMR MTYBLH MSWH MNKDH" Normalization and adding of known or possible vowels "Zaktut w-Iymir MTYBLH amesaw amenkad" Possible Numidian to English translation Zaktut son of Iyimir MTYLBH soldier of the emperor. Notes. Meaning either "the good one" or the "resting one".