1.5 Neighboring languages 7all dialects, and further detail on dialectal stem morphology can be gleaned
from it.
The Tuareg were and in some cases still are nomadic or transhumant.
Major tribal migrations have occurred over time, to which we may add
extensive recent migrations due to rapid desertification (especially severe since
1970), and organized resettlement into new communities of returning refugees
and combattants following the settlement of the Tuareg-Arab rebellion of
1990-95. Each local zone therefore has a complex settlement history. The
resulting linguistic variation, and the range of ecological zones inhabited, are
particularly challenging for the dictionary, but they also complicate
grammatical analysis and the processing of texts.
The traditional social divisions (or castes) in Tuareg society were defined
by (mostly male) occupational specialties: a) warriors (ae-masasr, PI
i-musar), b) vassals (a-msrid, PI 1-imrad), c) marabouts (Muslim holy men,
often mendicant), d) artisans (blacksmith, Fr forgerons) working with metal,
leather, and wood (Sg e-nhasd, PI l-nhasd-aen), and e) slaves (ά-kli, PI ekl-an).
Orthodox Islam has now spread to all Tuareg castes, but in the past religious
activity was mainly confined to the maraboutistic clans. In the southerly
Tuareg areas, where black slaves were abundant, the category "vassal" was
never as well-defined as it was farther north (Algeria). With the abolition of
slavery, the decline (except in times of rebellion) of tribal warfare and raiding
(razzia), and the resettlement of many Tuaregs in towns or agricultural
villages, traditional lifestyles have in many cases been dramatically altered.
Nevertheless, most people continue in some form of the traditional pastoral
lifestyle, spending at least part of the year in isolated villages, tending what is
left of their herds, relying on milk and cheese for a good part of their
sustenance. The Tuareg are popular among tourists, creating some jobs as
guides and providing new markets for the wares (jewelry, swords, boxes,
leatherwork) of the metalsmiths.
A somewhat special case is the Bella, the (former) slave caste, whose
traditional specialty in Tuareg economy was raising small livestock (sheep and
goats). Many of them are now in the cities and large towns, working as
herders, hard laborers, or domestic help for wealthier families. The Bella speak
roughly the same Tamachek varieties as their (former) owners, but have some
dialectal peculiarieties, and in some cities there are signs of an incipient shift
from Tamashek to a Songhay language among younger Bellas.
1.5 Neighboring languages
In the western part of their zone, i.e. around Timbuktu and from there west to
Goundam and beyond, Tamashek is spoken chiefly in villages that are not too
far from the Niger River. There are a number of Tamashek villages near
Timbuktu and Goundam, but the high desert farther north (e.g. Araouan,
Taoudenni) is basically Arab country. Moreover, in the sub-riverine area