The variety of Arabic spoken by the Jbala falls under the sub-dialect grouping of shamali Arabic.
Together with shamali, the jebli dialect belongs to the so-called Pre-Hilali or Non-Hilali group of Maghrebi Arabic, sometimes also referred to as ‘mountaineer Arabic’.
This term was introduced by Marçais  and Colin, who argued that the first arabicization of Northern Africa took place long before the migration of the famous Yemeni Bani Hilal tribe in 12th-13th centuries.
The pre-Hilali group consists of the Jebli dialect together with the dialects spoken in other North African cities.
The Jbala, together with several groups of population, inhabiting the Algerian and Tunisian part of the Tell Atlas, were the first Imazighen (Berbers) who arabicised their language, probably due to their proximity to the old route that once connected Fes (as well as Tlemcen and Constantine) with Mediterranean ports, especially with those located in al-Andalus.
As the most archaic group of Arabic dialects in the region, the Pre-Hilali dialects are characterised by a strong influence from Berber on all levels – phonetic, morphological, and lexical.
The variety of Arabic spoken by the Jbala falls under the sub-dialect grouping of shamali Arabic. Together with shamali, the jebli dialect belongs to the so-called Pre-Hilali or Non-Hilali group of Maghrebi Arabic, sometimes also referred to as ‘mountaineer Arabic’. This term was introduced by Marçais  and Colin, who argued that the first arabicization of Northern Africa took place long before the migration of the famous Yemeni Bani Hilal tribe in 12th-13th centuries. The pre-Hilali group consists of the Jebli dialect together with the dialects spoken in other North African cities. The Jbala, together with several groups of population, inhabiting the Algerian and Tunisian part of the Tell Atlas, were the first Imazighen (Berbers) who arabicised their language, probably due to their proximity to the old route that once connected Fes (as well as Tlemcen and Constantine) with Mediterranean ports, especially with those located in al-Andalus. As the most archaic group of Arabic dialects in the region, the Pre-Hilali dialects are characterised by a strong influence from Berber on all levels – phonetic, morphological, and lexical.
Jebala people