Tuwat (''Touat'', ''Tuat'') is a
Zenati Berber language
The Berber languages, also known as the Amazigh languages or Tamazight,, ber, label=Tuareg Tifinagh, ⵜⵎⵣⵗⵜ, ) are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They comprise a group of closely related languages spoken by Berber commun ...
. It is spoken by
Zenata
The Zenata ( Berber language: Iznaten) are a group of Amazigh (Berber) tribes, historically one of the largest Berber confederations along with the Sanhaja and Masmuda. Their lifestyle was either nomadic or semi-nomadic.
Etymology
''Iznaten ( ...
Berbers in a number of villages in the
Tuat
Tuat, or Touat, is a natural region of desert in central Algeria that contains a string of small oases. In the past, the oases were important for caravans crossing the Sahara.
Geography
Tuat lies to the south of the Grand Erg Occidental, to ...
region of southern Algeria; notably
Tamentit
Tamentit () (sometimes spelled Tamantit) is a town and ''commune'' or municipality in Fenoughil District of Adrar Province, in south-central Algeria. According to the 2008 census it has a population of 9,481, up from 7,912 in 1998, with an annual ...
(where it was already practically extinct by 1985
[Anonymous, "Le dernier document en berbère de Tamentit", ''Awal'' 1 (1985)]) and
Tittaf, located south of the
Gurara Berber speech area. ''
Ethnologue'' considers them a single language, "Zenati", but Blench (2006) classifies Gurara as a dialect of
Mzab–Wargla and Tuwat as a dialect of the
Riff cluster.
References
Berber languages
Languages of Algeria
Riff languages
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