The Imraguen language is allegedly spoken by the tiny (thousand-strong) Imraguen fishing tribe of the Banc d'Arguin National Park on the Atlantic coast of Mauritania. According to Gerteiny (1967), it is "a strange version of Hassaniyya restructured on an Azêr base", Azer being a Soninke dialect. The Ethnologue's description of their language appears to be based solely on this source, although they have now rejected his claim that the Nemadi had a separate Nemadi language. According to Fortier, "they speak the same language, Hassaniyya." The Banc dArguin National Park (French: Parc National du Banc dArguin) lies on the coast of Mauritania between Nouakchott and Nouadhibou. ... Hassaniya is a dialect of Arabic derived from the Arabic spoken by the Beni Hassan tribe, who extended their authority over most of the Mauritanian Sahara between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries. ... Also called Sarakole, Seraculeh, or Serahuli, the Soninke are a Mandé people who descend from the Bafour, and are closely related to the Imraguen of Mauritania. ... The Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International (formerly known as the Summer Institute of Linguistics), a Christian linguistic service organization which studies lesser-known languages primarily to provide the speakers with native language biblical texts. ... According to a few sources, the small Nemadi hunting tribe of eastern Mauritania speak a separate language of their own; however, most sources agree that they speak a dialect of Hassaniyya, or in some cases perhaps Azer. ... Hassaniya is a dialect of Arabic derived from the Arabic spoken by the Beni Hassan tribe, who extended their authority over most of the Mauritanian Sahara between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries. ...

The name "Imraguen" itself is a Berber word meaning "ones who gather life". Afro-Asiatic - Berber The Berber languages (or Tamazight) are a group of closely related languages mainly spoken in Algeria and Morocco. ...

Bibliography

• Alfred G. Gerteiny 1967, Mauritania. Frederic A. Praeger.
• Corinne Fortier, Spring 2004. AU MIROIR DE L'AUTRE: Chasseurs (Némadi) et pêcheurs (Imraguen) dans un monde de pasteurs nomades (Mauritanie) in Figures Sahariennes no. 7.