Tamazight

Tamazight is the umbrella term for the Berber languages spoken by the Amazigh people across North Africa. It belongs to the Afroasiatic language family, Berber branch. The term is also used by speakers to refer to their languages and, more broadly, to Amazigh culture and identity.

The major varieties include Tarifit (Northern Rif), Tashelhit (also known as Shilha, in the Souss and western Atlas regions), and Central Atlas Tamazight; the Tuareg languages—Tamasheq, Tamahaq, and Tamajeqt—are sometimes grouped with Tamazight under the Berber umbrella. These varieties form a dialect continuum, and mutual intelligibility varies between regions.

Tamazight is spoken primarily in Morocco and Algeria, with communities in Tunisia, Libya, Mali, Niger, and parts of the Sahara. In addition to the Maghreb core, diasporic communities have established presence in Europe. Linguistic use concentrates in the Rif mountains, the Atlas range, the Sous valley, and the Saharan belt.

Writing systems include Tifinagh (an ancient script that has been modernized as Neo-Tifinagh), as well as Latin and Arabic scripts used for education and media. In government policy, Amazigh was recognized as an official language in Morocco's 2011 constitution and as a national/official language in Algeria following constitutional reforms; the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture (IRCAM) coordinates standardization and promotion.

Educational and media use has grown since the late 20th century, though implementation varies by country and region.