Tamahaq, Tahaggart
A language of Algeria
| Population | 25,000 in Algeria (1987). Includes 20,000 Hoggar, 5,000 Ghat. Population total all countries: 62,000. |
| Region | South Hoggar (Ajjer) Mountain area, Hoggar, Tamanghasset area and south to Niger border. Ghat dialect in southeast, Ganet area and west. Also in Libya, Niger. |
| Language map |
Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Western Sahara |
| Alternate names | Tamachek, Tamashekin, Tomachek, Touareg, Tourage, Tuareg |
| Dialects | Hoggar (Ahaggaren, Ajjer, Tahaggart), Ghat (Ganet, Djanet). |
| Classification | Afro-Asiatic, Berber, Tamasheq, Northern A member of macrolanguage Tamashek [tmh] (Mali). |
| Language development | Bible portions: 1948–1965. |
| Writing system | Arabic script. Tifinagh (Berber) script, called Shifinagh in Niger. |
| Comments | ‘Tuareg’ are the people, ‘Targi’ is the singular. Inadan: blacksmiths; jewelry craftsmen. Muslim. |
Also spoken in:
Libya
| Language name | Tamahaq, Tahaggart |
| Population | 17,000 in Libya (2006). |
| Region | Hoggar in south Hoggar (Ajjer) Mountain area, Tamanrasset area; south into Niger; Ghat is southeast, Ganet and west Libya oases, Ghat area. |
| Language map |
Egypt and Libya |
| Alternate names | Tamachek, Tamashekin, Tomachek, Tourage, Toureg, Tuareg |
| Dialects | Hoggar (Ahaggaren, Ajjer, Tahaggart), Ghat (Ganet, Djanet). |
| Comments | ‘Tuareg’ are the people (‘Targi’ is the singular); ‘Tamahaq’ is the language. Inadan: blacksmiths; jewelry craftsmen. Muslim. |
Niger
| Language name | Tamahaq, Tahaggart |
| Population | 20,000 in Niger (1998). |
| Language maps |
Niger Niger |
| Alternate names | Tamachek, Tamashekin, Tamasheq, Tomachek, Touareg, Tourage, Tuareg |
| Dialects | Hoggar (Ahaggaren, Ajjer, Tahaggart), Ghat (Ganet, Djanet). |
| Comments | ‘Tamahaq’ is the speakers’ name for their language. ‘Tuareg’ is an Arabic name for the people. Nomadic. Inadan caste: blacksmiths, jewelry craftsmen. Muslim. |