Language
Tadaksahak, the language spoken by the Idaksahak community, is an autonomous linguistic system at the crossroads of the major sociolinguistic areas of the Niger Bend and the Sahara. It shares structural convergences with the Songhay varieties (like the Tagdalt of the Igdalane) and lexical affinities with the Tamasheq of the Iwellemmeden. Even so, it is a language in its own right, shaped by historical, sociolinguistic and territorial dynamics specific to the Idaksahak community.
Dictionary
Over 500 words translated into French, English and Arabic.
Grammar
The reference grammar summarised in thirty blocks.
Phonology
Vowels, consonants and how they are pronounced.
Relative clauses
The three relativisation strategies of Tadaksahak.
Thematic vocabulary
Vocabulary by theme: animals, body, family…
The name of the language
Speakers themselves call their language Tadaksahak. The word changes with gender and number: a-dáksahak “man of the group”, i-dáksahak “men of the group”, t-a-dáksahak “woman of the group” (also the name of the language), t-ǝ-dáksahak “women of the group”.
Colonial and administrative documents use forms derived from the name given by the Tuareg: Dausahaq, Daoussak, Daoussahaq, Dawsahaq or Daosahaq.
Where is it spoken?
Tadaksahak is spoken mainly in the Ménaka district and the north of the Ansongo district in Mali, as well as in parts of Niger. Its speakers share this area with speakers of Tamasheq, Songhay, Arabic and Fulfulde.
Three areas show particular features: Tamalet, in the Azawagh valley; Talatayt, north-west of Ménaka; and Infukaraytan, on the southern edge of the territory, between Ménaka and Niamey.
Among neighbouring languages
Linguists place Tadaksahak in “Northern Songhay”, alongside Tagdal (Niger), Tasawaq (In-Gall, Niger) and Korandje (Tabelbala, Algeria). All of these have been strongly shaped by contact with Tuareg.
There is, however, no mutual intelligibility with the other Songhay varieties, and the speakers consulted reject the idea that Tadaksahak is merely a dialect of Songhay.
A language to pass on
Tadaksahak has no official status and no place in schools. Its speakers increasingly use Tamasheq, Songhay or French, which weakens its transmission: it is now regarded as an endangered language.
Researchers at the Institut de Pédagogie Universitaire in Bamako propose building on the comparison between Tadaksahak and Tuareg to lay the foundations of bilingual education in the Ménaka region.
Source : Ag Abdoussalam, M. ; Ag Agouzoum, A., Hamadou, A. K. et Ag Abdoussalam, M.