Tamasheq

Tamasheq is a Berber language of the Tuareg branch spoken by Tuareg communities across the central Sahara, with concentrations in Niger, Mali and Algeria and smaller communities in Libya, Burkina Faso, and Chad. It is part of the Afroasiatic language family, within the Berber (Tamazight) group, and is one of several Tuareg varieties.

The language is commonly referred to as Tamasheq, though its dialects are diverse. Major varieties include Tamahaq, Tawellemmet, and other Tuareg dialects spoken in different regions. The dialects are related but vary in pronunciation, vocabulary, and some grammatical features, and mutual intelligibility can vary accordingly.

Tamasheq has traditionally been written in the Tifinagh script, the ancient Libyan-Berber alphabet. In modern contexts, Latin-based orthographies are widely used in education and media, and Arabic script has also seen historical use in some communities. The language features a consonant-rich phonology, including ejective consonants and uvulars, and a vowel system often described as three-vowel (a, i, u) with length distinctions. Like other Berber languages, Tamasheq uses root-and-pattern morphology, with noun classes and verb inflection marking gender, number, person, and aspect.

In terms of sociolinguistics, Tamasheq remains a daily means of communication for Tuareg communities but faces pressures from Arabic, French, and national language policies in some countries. There are ongoing efforts to promote literacy, education, and cultural rights in regions where Tamasheq is spoken.

See also: Tuareg people, Berber languages, Tifinagh.