A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

90 3 Phonology

now consider how these stems appear when followed by an underlying

V-initial subject suffix.

In these unaugmented V-final verbs (unlike the augment verbs), the

V-initial subject suffixes must be divided into two subsets. The first consists of

lSg -aer and 2Sg -sed, while the second consists of 3MaPl -aen and 2MaPl

-asm. Consider first the perfective inflections of a bisyllabic verb -ujju-

'stretch to look' (PerfP -ojja-). The PerfP forms of these verbs are not entirely

helpful, since the PerfP does not co-occur with preverbs, and with just two

syllables it is impossible to distinguish default from marked accent. In (65) I

give the unsuffixed 3MaSg, then the four person-number-gender combinations

with underlying monosyllabic suffixes. The forms in (65.b) show the e output

of VV-Contraction, while those in (65.c) show (apparent) outright deletion of

the stem-final V, leaving only the short as of the suffix; cf. (37.d).

(65) Perfective Positive of 'stretch on tiptoes' and 'come'

subject 'stretch' 'come'

a. 3MaSg 0-ojja 0-osa

b. VV-Contraction precedes Default Accentuation, e output

lSg öjje-γ ose-Y

2Sg t-ojje-d t-ose-d

c. VV-Contraction follows Default Accentuation, ae output

3MaPl ojjae-n osae-n

2MaPl t-ojjas-m t-osae-m

The accentual difference between types (65.b) and (65.c) is not audible
when the words are phrase-initial or occur in isolation, since default and
marked accents are identical phonetically, but the difference can be inferred
from the broader (morpho-)phonology including the negative counterparts
presented below.
The Sg Participial suffixes, MaSg -aen and FeSg -ast, show accentuation
parallel to that seen in (65.c). Thus 0-osas-n 'come-Partpl.MaSg', as in ere-\d
0-osae-n 'whoever comes'. Note that the accent remains on the 0-osae-n rather
than shifting to the preceding ere.
The negative (PerfN) counterparts to (65), shown in (66) below, bring out
the accentual distinctions between lSg/2Sg and 3MaPl/2MaPl that are latent in
the PerfP (66). This is because PerfN verbs are always preceded by Neg waer,
which takes phrasal accent when followed by an unaccented bisyllabic stem as
in (66.b), but not when the verb is treated (at the point where Default
Accentuation applies) as trisyllabic as in (66.c). The e in (66.c) is ablauted
from /ae/, as usual in PerfN verbs, rather than being due to VV-Contraction.