The Mzab–Wargla languages or Northern Saharan oasis dialects are a

dialect cluster A dialect is a variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standardized varieties as well as vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardized varieties, such as those used in developing countries or iso ...

of the

Zenati languages The Zenati languages are a branch of the Northern Berber language family of North Africa. They were named after the medieval Zenata Berber tribal confederation. They were first proposed in the works of French linguist Edmond Destaing (1915) (19 ...

, within the Northern Berber subbranch. They are spoken in scattered oases of

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

and

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

Subclassification

;Kossmann (2013)

Maarten Kossmann Maarten Kossmann (born 5 February 1966 in Zuidlaren, Netherlands) is a Dutch linguist who specializes in Berber languages. He is currently professor of Berber studies at Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a Publi ...

(2013) listed six "Northern Saharan oasis" dialects: * South Oranie and Figuig * Gurara * Tuwat- Tidikelt * Mzab * Wargla * Wad Righ (Tugurt) ;Ethnologue (2009) In ''

Ethnologue ''Ethnologue: Languages of the World'' is an annual reference publication in print and online that provides statistics and other information on the living languages of the world. It is the world's most comprehensive catalogue of languages. It w ...

'' XVI (2009), the "Mzab–Wargla" languages are listed as: * Tagargrent (Wargli) * Temacine Tamazight (Tugurt) * Taznatit ("Zenati": Gurara, Tuwat and South Oran) *Tumzabt ( Mozabite) Unlike Kossmann, ''

'' considers the Berber dialect spoken in Tidikelt as a separate branch of the Zenati group, distinct from Tuwat. ;Blench

Roger Blench Roger Marsh Blench (born August 1, 1953) is a British linguist, ethnomusicologist and development anthropologist. He has an M.A. and a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge and is based in Cambridge, England. He researches, publishes, and work ...

(2006) listed eight varieties:Blench, Roger M. (2006
"The Afro-Asiatic Languages: Classification and Reference List"
Cambridge: Mallam Dendo. * Gurara * Mzab, Ghardaia (Mozabite) * Wargla * Tugurt * Seghrušen *

Figuig Figuig or Figig is an oasis town in eastern Morocco near the Atlas Mountains, on the border with Algeria. The town is built around an oasis of date palms, surrounded by rugged, mountainous wilderness. Modernization has somewhat raised the stan ...

Senhaja The Sanhaja (, or زناگة ''Znāga''; , pl. Iẓnagen, and also Aẓnaj, pl. Iẓnajen) were once one of the largest Berber tribal confederations, along with the Zanata and Masmuda confederations. Many tribes in Algeria, Libya, Mali, Mauritan ...

* Iznacen However, Senhaja is actually an

Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of world map, maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth. Advances in astronomy have also resulted in atlases of the celestial sphere or of other planets. Atlases have traditio ...

language.

Linguistic maps

File:Mzab-Wargla Berberophone areas.PNG, Mzab, Wargla and Wad Righ File:Gourara ksour - Linguistic map.PNG, Gourara File:South Oranie and Figuig Berber.PNG, South Oranie and Figuig

References

Berber languages {{Berber-lang-stub