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Abstract
Inherent intelligibility between Tadaksahak Dausahaq, Tasawaq Ingelsi, Tagdal and Tabarog was measured using the Recorded Text Test developed by the Summer Institute of Linguistics.
Language attitudes of the speakers of the Northern Songhay varieties in Niger were also investigated using group interview schedules and by observation.
It was found that Tagdal and Tabarog are mutually intelligible and that speakers of both of these varieties consider that they speak the same language, for which all accept the name Tagdal. Also,
Tadaksahak is not inherently intelligible to speakers of Tasawaq or Tagdal, and Tasawaq and Tagdal are not mutually inherently intelligible either. Although many speakers of Northern
Songhay languages are bilingual to some extent, it is pragmatic concerns which drive them to use languages of wider communication and they reserve a more positive attitude toward their own
languages.
1 Introduction
1.1 Objectives
From May to June 1998, the Summer Institute of Linguistics SIL conducted a sociolinguistic survey among speakers of Tasawaq, Tagdal, and Tabarog in Niger. The research team consisted
of Michael J. Rueck, Niger survey coordinator, and Niels Christiansen, working in Menaka, Mali among the Idaksahak who speak Tadaksahak since 1992. Some of the goals of the survey were:
1. to collect some basic demographic and cultural information on the speakers of the target languages,
2. to measure the level of inherent intelligibility between the speech varieties in Niger, 3. to evaluate the potential for these groups to use written material produced in the
Tadaksahak language in Mali.
1.2 Appreciation
We wish to express our gratitude to the Minister of Interior of the Republic of Niger, the Prefects of the arrondissements of Tahoua and Agadez, the Sub-Prefect of Abalak, and the Chief of the
Administrative Post of Ingal for facilitating this study. We would also like to express our appreciation to the Chief of the 7th Group of the Tamajaq People of the Azawagh and the
Village Chiefs of Tamaya, Tofabayogh, and Ingal for their permission to study their peoples’ languages and for calling people together to work with us.
1.3 Background
Robert Nicolaï identifies Northern Songhay songhay septentrional as a subdivision of the Songhay language group of the Nilo-Saharan language family 1981a. See Figure 1. These
speech forms are also referred to as “mixed languages” since they have adopted phonological and prosodic features and lexical items from Tamajaq, the Berber language spoken by the Kel
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Tamajaq or Tuareg Lacroix, 1968. Nicolaï claims that intercomprehension “is possible” within the Northern Songhay group.
Northern Songhay \
Nomadic Sedentary
\ \
Tadaksahak Tihishit
Tasawaq Korandje
\ \
Tagdal Tabarog
Ingelsi Emghedeshie
extinct
Figure 1 Northern Songhay dialects according to Nicolaï
Northern Songhay language names are related to the names of the peoples who speak them in Berber fashion. Tadaksahak is spoken by the Idaksahak; Tagdal is spoken by the Igdalen;
Tabarog is spoken by the Iberogan; and Tasawaq is spoken by the Issawaghan who also call themselves the Ingalkoyyu.
2 Demographics and description of the peoples
Three of the Northern Songhay speech varieties are unique to Niger. Tasawaq is spoken in Ingal, and Tagdal and Tabarog are spoken in a more widespread area centered around Abalak see Map
1. A fourth variety, Tadaksahak also known as Tadawsahaq or Dausahaq is mainly spoken in the Menaka Circle of Mali, but individuals of this group can also be found in Niger and other
neighboring countries.
We have found no reference to these people groups as distinct entities in official statistics, where the Igdalen and Iberogan tend to be grouped with the Tuareg. In the civil administration, they
belong to the 7th Group of Tamajaq People of the Azawagh. The civil administrator in Ingal chef de poste reported that the people of Ingal claim to be “Songhay” on identity papers, while
people in Teguidda-n-Tessoumt write “Tamajaq”. He took this to mean that they see themselves as part of these two linguistic communities.
Our demographic statistics are tentative. Most of them come from responses to our questionnaires which were estimates or are a result of our observations on the field.
Map 1 Northern Songhay dialect areas and test sites
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2.1 Ingalkoyyu Tasawaq-speakers
