Tamaceq
Tamasheq (Tuareg)
Afro-Asiatic (Berber, Tuareg)
Also known as: Tamasheq, Tuareg, Touareg
Tamasheq / Tuareg (Tamacheq, ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵛⴰⵇ) is the Berber language cluster of the Tuareg people of the Sahara — Mali, Niger, Algeria, Libya, Burkina Faso — with ~1.2M speakers. Several macro-varieties exist (Tamasheq in Mali, Tamajaq in Niger, Tamahaq in Algeria-Libya, Tawellemmet, Tayert). The Tuareg are unique among Berbers for actively maintaining the historical Tifinagh script — a consonantal abjad descended from ancient Libyco-Berber inscriptions — passed on traditionally by women in matrilineal Tuareg society. Famous for the iconic indigo-veiled Kel Tagelmoust ('men of the veil'), nomadic camel-pastoralism across the Sahara, and post-2012 Tuareg-led Azawad independence movements in northern Mali.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Tamasheq (Tuareg)
Water
ⴰⵎⴰⵏ
/aman/
Fire
ⵜⵎⵙⵉ
/təmsi/
Sun
ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽ
/tafuk/
Moon
ⴰⵢⵓⵔ
/ajor/
Star
ⴰⵜⵔⵉ
/atri/
Mother
ⴰⵏⵏⴰ
/anːa/
Father
ⴰⴱⴱⴰ
/abba/
I
ⵏⴽⴽ
/nækː/
You
ⴽⵢ
/kæj/
Name
ⴻⵙⵎ
/esæm/
Eye
ⵜⵉⵟⵟ
/titˤː/
Hand
ⴰⴼⵓⵙ
/afus/
Heart
ⵓⵍ
/ul/
Love
ⵜⴰⵔⴰ
/tara/
Tree
ⴰⵛⴽ
/aʃək/
House
ⴻⵀⵏ
/ehən/
Dog
ⴰⵢⴷⵉ
/ajdi/
Cat
ⴰⵎⵓⵛ
/amuʃ/
Eat
ⴽⵛ
/əkʃ/
Drink
ⵙⵓ
/əsu/
One
ⵉⵢⵏ
/ijən/
Two
ⵛⵛⵉⵏ
/əʃːin/
Hello
ⵎⴰ ⵜⵍⵍⴰ
/ma təlːa/
Thank you
ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵎⵉⵔⵜ
/tanəmːiɾt/
Good
ⵉⵀⵓⵙⵙⵏ
/ihosːən/
Sources
- Ethnologue: tmh
- Heath (2005) A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)
- Sudlow (2001) The Tamasheq of North-East Burkina Faso
Words compared
Compared with related Afro-Asiatic (Berber, Tuareg) languages
| Meaning | Tamasheq (Tuareg) | Standard Moroccan Tamazight | Tashelhit | Central Atlas Tamazight | Kabyle | Tarifit | Shawiya |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ | ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ | ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ | ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ | aman /aman/ | ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ | aman /aman/ |
| Fire | ⵜⵎⵙⵉ /təmsi/ | ⵜⵉⵎⵙⵙⵉ /timsːi/ | ⵜⵉⵎⵙⵉ /timsi/ | ⵜⵉⵎⵙ /times/ | times /timəs/ | ⵜⵎⵙⵙⵉ /θmesːi/ | times /times/ |
| Sun | ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽ /tafuk/ | ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽⵜ /tafukt/ | ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽⵜ /tafukt/ | ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽⵜ /tafukt/ | iṭij /itˤiʒ/ | ⵜⴼⵓⵢⵜ /θfujθ/ | ittij /itːiʒ/ |
| Moon | ⴰⵢⵓⵔ /ajor/ | ⴰⵢⵢⵓⵔ /ajːur/ | ⴰⵢⵢⵓⵔ /ajːuɾ/ | ⴰⵢⵢⵓⵔ /ajːuɾ/ | aggur /aɡːuɾ/ | ⴰⵢⵢⵓⵔ /ajːuɾ/ | ayur /ajuɾ/ |
| Star | ⴰⵜⵔⵉ /atri/ | ⵉⵜⵔⵉ /itri/ | ⵉⵜⵔⵉ /itri/ | ⵉⵜⵔⵉ /itri/ | itri /itri/ | ⵉⵜⵔⵉ /iθri/ | itri /iθri/ |
| Mother | ⴰⵏⵏⴰ /anːa/ | ⵉⵎⵎⴰ /imːa/ | ⵉⵎⵎⴰ /imːa/ | ⵢⵎⵎⴰ /jemːa/ | yemma /jəmːa/ | ⵢⵎⵎⴰ /jemːa/ | ima /ima/ |
| Father | ⴰⴱⴱⴰ /abba/ | ⴱⴰⴱⴰ /baba/ | ⴱⴰⴱⴰ /baba/ | ⴱⴰⴱⴰ /baba/ | baba /baba/ | ⴱⴰⴱⴰ /baba/ | baba /baba/ |
| I | ⵏⴽⴽ /nækː/ | ⵏⴽⴽ /nəkː/ | ⵏⴽⴽⵉ /nəkːi/ | ⵏⴽⴽ /nəkː/ | nekk /nəkː/ | ⵏⵜⵛ /nətʃ/ | nec /nətʃ/ |
| You | ⴽⵢ /kæj/ | ⴽⵢⵢⵉ /kəjːi/ | ⴽⵢⵢⵉ /kəjːi/ | ⵛⴽⴽ /ʃəkː/ | kečč /kətʃː/ | ⵛⴽ /ʃək/ | cek /ʃək/ |
| Name | ⴻⵙⵎ /esæm/ | ⵉⵙⵎ /isəm/ | ⵉⵙⵎ /ism/ | ⵉⵙⵎ /isəm/ | isem /isəm/ | ⵉⵙⵎ /isəm/ | isem /isəm/ |
| Eye | ⵜⵉⵟⵟ /titˤː/ | ⵜⵉⵟⵟ /titˤː/ | ⵜⵉⵟⵟ /titˤː/ | ⵜⵉⵟⵟ /titˤː/ | tiṭ /titˤ/ | ⵜⵉⵟ /θitˤ/ | tiṭ /titˤ/ |
| Hand | ⴰⴼⵓⵙ /afus/ | ⴰⴼⵓⵙ /afus/ | ⴰⴼⵓⵙ /afus/ | ⴰⴼⵓⵙ /afus/ | afus /afus/ | ⴼⵓⵙ /fus/ | afus /afus/ |
| Heart | ⵓⵍ /ul/ | ⵓⵍ /ul/ | ⵓⵍ /ul/ | ⵓⵍ /ul/ | ul /ul/ | ⵓⵍ /ul/ | ul /ul/ |
| Love | ⵜⴰⵔⴰ /tara/ | ⵜⴰⵢⵔⵉ /tajri/ | ⵜⴰⵢⵔⵉ /tajɾi/ | ⵜⴰⵢⵔⵉ /tajɾi/ | tayri /tajɾi/ | ⵜⴰⵢⵔⵉ /tajɾi/ | tayri /tajɾi/ |
| Tree | ⴰⵛⴽ /aʃək/ | ⴰⵙⴽⵍⵓ /asəklu/ | ⴰⵙⴽⵍⵓ /aseklu/ | ⴰⵙⴽⵍⵓ /aseklu/ | ttejra /tːəʒɾa/ | ⴰⵙⵖⴰⵔ /asʁaɾ/ | aseklu /asekːlu/ |
| House | ⴻⵀⵏ /ehən/ | ⵜⵉⴳⵎⵎⵉ /tiɡəmːi/ | ⵜⵉⴳⵎⵎⵉ /tiɡemːi/ | ⵜⵉⴳⵎⵎⵉ /tiɡemːi/ | axxam /aχːam/ | ⵜⴰⴷⴷⴰⵔⵜ /θadːaɾt/ | axxam /axːam/ |
| Dog | ⴰⵢⴷⵉ /ajdi/ | ⴰⵢⴷⵉ /ajdi/ | ⴰⵢⴷⵉ /ajdi/ | ⴰⵢⴷⵉ /ajdi/ | aydi /ajdi/ | ⴰⵢⴷⵉ /ajdi/ | aydi /ajdi/ |
| Cat | ⴰⵎⵓⵛ /amuʃ/ | ⴰⵎⵓⵛⵛ /amutʃː/ | ⴰⵎⵓⵛ /amuʃ/ | ⴰⵎⵓⵛ /amuʃ/ | amcic /amʃiʃ/ | ⵎⵓⵛⵛ /mutʃː/ | mucc /mutʃː/ |
| Eat | ⴽⵛ /əkʃ/ | ⵛⵛ /ətʃː/ | ⵛⵛ /tʃː/ | ⵛⵛ /etʃː/ | ečč /ətʃː/ | ⵜⵛ /etʃ/ | etš /etʃ/ |
| Drink | ⵙⵓ /əsu/ | ⵙⵓ /su/ | ⵙⵙⵓ /sːu/ | ⵙⵡ /səw/ | sew /səw/ | ⵙⵓ /su/ | su /su/ |
| One | ⵉⵢⵏ /ijən/ | ⵢⴰⵏ /jan/ | ⵢⴰⵏ /jan/ | ⵢⴰⵏ /jan/ | yiwen /jiwən/ | ⵉⵊⵊ /ijː/ | ijj /ijː/ |
| Two | ⵛⵛⵉⵏ /əʃːin/ | ⵙⵉⵏ /sin/ | ⵙⵉⵏ /sin/ | ⵙⵉⵏ /sin/ | sin /sin/ | ⵜⵏⴰⵢⵏ /θnajən/ | sen /sən/ |
| Hello | ⵎⴰ ⵜⵍⵍⴰ /ma təlːa/ | ⴰⵣⵓⵍ /azul/ | ⴰⵣⵓⵍ /azul/ | ⴰⵣⵓⵍ /azul/ | azul /azul/ | ⴰⵣⵓⵍ /azul/ | azul /azul/ |
| Thank you | ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵎⵉⵔⵜ /tanəmːiɾt/ | ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵎⵉⵔⵜ /tanəmːirt/ | ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵎⵉⵔⵜ /tanmːiɾt/ | ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵎⵉⵔⵜ /tanmːiɾt/ | tanemmirt /tanəmːiɾt/ | ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵎⵉⵔⵜ /tanəmːiɾt/ | tanmirt /tanmiɾt/ |
| Good | ⵉⵀⵓⵙⵙⵏ /ihosːən/ | ⵉⴼⵓⵍⴽⵉ /ifulki/ | ⵉⴼⵓⵍⴽⵉ /ifulki/ | ⵉⴼⵓⵍⴽⵉ /ifulki/ | yelha /jəlħa/ | ⵛⵏⵎⵓ /ʃenmu/ | ighwdha /iʁʷða/ |
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