Tamahaq, also known as Tahaggart Tamahaq or Tamahaq Tahaggart, is the only known Northern Tuareg language, spoken in Algeria, western Libya and northern Niger. It varies little from the Southern Tuareg languages of the Aïr Mountains, Azawagh and Adagh. The differences mostly consist of sound changes, such as Tamahaq instead of Tamajaq or Tamasheq. This language is "one of the sister languages spoken by the inhabitants of many districts of the Atlas range of mountains from Egypt to the Western shores of Morocco, and which are all included in the general term Berber."
Phonology
Vowels
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Consonants Labial Alveolar Palato-alveolar Velar Uvular Glottal Plosive Fricative Nasal Tap Approximant
Orthography Tamahaq is written in Tifinagh, an abjad of 25 letters. Like other abjads such as Hebrew and Arabic, it is written from right to left.
Vowels
Tifinagh IPA equivalent ⴰ (tegherit) aⵢ/ⵉ (yay) ʝ, i ⵓ (yaw) w, u
Consonants Tifinagh IPA equivalentⵀ (yab) b ⵜ (yat) t ⵋ (yaj) ʒ ⴶ (yag) dʒ ⵆ (yax) χ ⴷ (yad) d ⵔ (yar) ɾ ⵣ (yaz) z ⵟ (yaṭ) tˤ ⴾ (yak) k ⵍ (yal) l ⵎ (yam) m ⵏ (yan) n ⵌ (yaẓ) zˤ ⴹ (yaḍ) dˤⵗ (yaɣ) ɣ ⴼ (yaf) f ⵈ (yaq) q ⵙ (yas) s ⵛ (yaš) ʃ ⵂ (yah) h ⴳ (yag) ɡ, ġ
Grammar
Nouns Tamahaq nouns belong to two noun classes, traditionally called "masculine" and "feminine", each potentially inflecting for two numbers, singular and plural.
In general, singular masculine nouns begin with a vowel (a, ă, e, i, u, or o), plural masculine nouns begin with the sound i, and feminine singular and plural nouns begin with the sound t.
There are a few exceptions to these rules:
Certain masculine nouns, plural or singular, begin with a consonant, e.g. (, ). Some singular masculine nouns beginning with keep their initial in their plural forms, e.g. (, ). If a masculine singular noun begins with a short sound, it may be represented as ă, and this sound can also be kept in the plural, e.g. () and (). A few plural masculine names begin with the sound a, e.g. (, ). Some feminine nouns, plural or singular, don't begin with , e.g. (, ) and (, ).
Feminine nouns can often be formed from masculine nouns by adding to the beginning and end.
Varieties There are three main varieties of Tamahaq: Tahaggart (Ahaggar), spoken around the Ahaggar Mountains in southern Algeria by the Kel Ahaggar confederation Ajjer, spoken by the Kel Ajjer confederation Ghat, spoken around Djanet in southeast Algeria and Ghat in Libya.
Blench (2006) regards Tahaggart and Ghat as distinct Tuareg languages.
References