AHC - Significant population of Punic and Vandalic speakers in North Africa

The challenge is to have significant populations of Punic and Vandalic speakers in North Africa that are large enough to later form independent states, yet dwarfed compared to speakers of Amazigh and African Latin (including descendent languages).

The first POD entails thousands of Carthaginians managed to survive being killed or enslaved in the aftermath of the Third Punic War to remain a large presence in the area.

The second POD entails the Vandal Kingdom managing to escape conquest by the Byzantines long enough for their language to take hold over the population they ruled over, along with a No/Screwed Islam scenario.
 
If you have a more thorough decline of Rome in the 3rd century or so it wouldn't be too hard to have Punic remain a majority language in most of the Roman province of Africa and probably various regions beyond. Even into the 4th century this doesn't seem totally unrealistic, but later than that you'd probably need to mess with religious demographics. Maybe Punic speakers are the only remnant of the Catholic Church in North Africa, the rest having been lost to schismatics (not necessarily Donatists). The largest population of Punic speakers are found roughly from the Gulf of Gabes to the edge of Cyrenaica (where they form a slight majority), and although often persecuted as heretics by Christians of other ethnic groups, maintain support from the Catholic Church and occasionally foreign powers over the years which proves profitable and helps keep the community alive. Eventually, a demand for a homeland for these Punic speakers emerges. Going the other way around with Punic speakers as schismatics or heretics of some form might be a bit harder unless Christianity was much more fragmented than OTL. Although maybe if you keep Augustine of Hippo as a heretic, you might get something interesting.

If Malta counts as North Africa, it probably isn't too hard to have it Punic speaking in the long term given the island's depopulation in Late Antiquity. Making it Vandalic speaking through the same process might be possible too, it's just there weren't ever a lot of people who actually spoke Vandalic in North Africa.
 
So Punic speakers could later potentially form a state/kingdom in much of modern day Tunisia and Libya?

Was thinking of Vandalic speakers managing to form a majority either in parts of modern day northeast Algeria (including the city of Hippo), Sardinia or Corsica though not sure how feasible it would have been.
 
So Punic speakers could later potentially form a state/kingdom in much of modern day Tunisia and Libya?

Was thinking of Vandalic speakers managing to form a majority either in parts of modern day northeast Algeria (including the city of Hippo), Sardinia or Corsica though not sure how feasible it would have been.

Probably, Punic speakers were numerous for long after Carthage was a distant memory and along with Berbers/Libyans formed the majority of the local Roman legion amongst other Roman soldiers.

Vandals anywhere on the mainland I strongly doubt, but they might be able to work something out on Sardinia or Corsica, assuming a bloody struggle (maybe some plague too) that leaves the majority of the male inhabitants of the place dead.
 

TruthfulPanda

Gone Fishin'
1 - Vandals; prevent their capture of Carthage for several generations. During this time they assimilate the Latin/Punic/Amazigh speaking locals they are lording over. Stay Catholic-Orthodox and you remain "a Roman", and a serf; convert to Arianism and you are a Freeman and part of the Vandal tribe/nation. This allows for rapid increase in number Vandals (who arrived numbering 80-100K) - as the joiners are illiterate peasants the Vandal language remains the main language. Reaching out to Vandal (and other East Germanic) remanents in the Carpathians, Silesia, etc. would help too. Remember - the Vandals arrived at Hippo c.40 years after leaving Silesia/Upper Tisa River basin.
2 - Punic - as suggested, combine that with religion. Althjough I would reverse the situation versus that forwarded by Metalinvader. Have some group - initially these may be either Catholic-Orthodox or Heretics - reach out to the lower classes in their language, thus create a written language. Then have a break, with Latin becoming the language of "the other guy" while Punic becomes "our" language. E.g. Donatists "go Punic" and Donatism becomes the Established Church.
 
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