Computer Science Dictionary in French, English, and Kabyle
The world of words is often filled with fascinating stories, brimming with passion and perseverance. This is exactly what the second edition of Samya Saad Buzefran’s Dictionary, published by Axxam n Tmusni Publishing, reveals.
This book is not just a dictionary; it is the result of a journey fraught with obstacles and decisive encounters, demonstrating a deep commitment to the preservation and promotion of the Kabyle language, a daughter of Tamazight that continues to grow thanks to its brightest children.
Samya herself is as brilliant as her career. She earned her PhD in computer science from the University of Poitiers (France) in 1998. After spending four years at the University of Le Havre as an Associate Professor in Computer Science, she joined the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (Cnam) in Paris in September 2002. Since 2019, she has held the position of Full Professor at CNAM.
Currently, she holds multiple roles, including that of a reference expert in computer science for the Research Tax Credit within the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research (as of December 2023). She is also the Director of the CEDRIC Laboratory, which includes over 170 researchers and PhD students.
Her current research focuses primarily on security in the Internet of Things (IoT), particularly leveraging artificial intelligence techniques.
However, let’s return to the story of this dictionary! It all began in 1990, during the village festival of Achallam, dedicated to the Kingdom of Koukou (An ancient Kabyle kingdom). The young Samya, accompanied by her sisters, attended with insatiable curiosity. It was there that a decisive encounter with Belaid At Mejqan, a journalist and host at the Kabyle radio, opened the doors to reflecting on how to contribute to the preservation of their culture. Following his advice, Samya traveled to Algiers to meet Abdesselam Abdennour.
During this meeting, after dedicating his book, (Lebni d imuhal izuyaz, Building and Public Works), to her, Abdesselam Abdennour spoke to her about the need for a computer science dictionary in Kabyle. Although it seemed like an ambitious idea, it became the starting point of an intellectual and personal adventure for Samya.
“My decision to undertake the creation of a dictionary in the Kabyle language is motivated more by the desire to help fill a gap caused by the exclusion that this language has endured for decades than by any selfish satisfaction I might derive from it,” she confides.
Returning home, Samya embarked on the creation of a dictionary, armed with patience and determination, but soon faced the complexity of the project. She explains,
“For those familiar with the richness of the Amazigh languages, as revealed by the invaluable work of men like Mouloud Mammeri, the folkloric confines in which some wish to confine it are more than unbearable, and they cannot tolerate the hypocrisy that allows it as an object of research in universities while simultaneously denying it the means of communication that would enable it to reclaim its place more quickly.”
With the valuable help of Ramdane Achab, an expert in Amazigh linguistics, and access to a vast library of dictionaries in various Amazigh languages that he facilitated, Samya enriched her computer science dictionary.
“To successfully complete this mission that I set for myself, after listing the French and English terms in today’s computer science vocabulary, I turned to Amazigh works, dictionaries in different dialects (Kabyle, Tuareg, Shilha, Mozabite, Chaoui), the Amawal dictionary, mathematics, and electricity, among others, to increase the likelihood of finding a Berber word to use for translation, only resorting to neologism as a last resort,” she explains.
The first version of this monumental work saw the light of day and was sent to various linguists for critique and correction. Although feedback was minimal, Samya persisted, and the dictionary was awarded a prize at the Amazigh Colloquium in Ghardaia in 1991 before being published by L’Harmattan in 1996.
“Most of these terms, created for technological needs in recent decades, are not part of everyday language, and some have only recently entered the dictionary, even though they have been used by computer scientists since the 1960s,” she observes.
The digitalization that accelerated in the 2000s posed new challenges but also opportunities for Samya’s dictionary. The revised version, published online in 2005, was integrated into translation and digital adaptation projects such as those undertaken by the Imsidag group. This practical support and the validation of the proposed terms testify to the vitality of the dictionary and its growing utility in the digital world.
Samya concludes,
“At first glance, it may seem complex to associate very technical and recent terminology with translations drawn from Berber dictionaries, mostly created by ethnologists with the help of rural populations recounting their traditional daily activities. But this underestimates the power of these languages to express situations, states, and actions with extreme conciseness, as well as their capacity to integrate new concepts.”
Today, in 2024, the new edition of this dictionary by Axxam n Tmusni Publishing marks not only the longevity of this work but also its adaptation to contemporary realities. Samya Buzefran expresses deep gratitude to all the people who contributed to this project, from linguists to developers of digital tools. This dictionary is not only a valuable resource for Kabyle language users but also a symbol of the resilience and evolution of a language in the face of modern challenges.
As a reminder, Samya will be touring Canada to talk about her work and her contribution to the revitalization of her language.
Her lecture series will begin on Septembre the 6th at Ottawa-Gatinau among the ACAOH Association (Canada), then the 8th of the same month she will be at the Kabyle Digital School (Canada).
