118 3 Phonology
3.4.5.3 Final-Syllable V ("f')
The formatives in (88.b), above, target the V of the final syllable of the stem.
This is a simple and unproblematic formulation. The clear cases of χ-f in verbs
are illustrated in (91).
(91) Final-Syllable Vowel (Long Imperfectives)
gloss Shlmpf LoImpfP formatives
a. 'be tamed' -akufad- -t-lkufud- χ-f (+ χ-pcl)
'gallop' -asddaerbae-t -t-adaerba-t X-f(+ χ-pcl)
'be slippery' -aszzaelbasbbaey- -t-azselbaebbay- χ-f (+χ-pcl)
b. 'have a scare' -serraeft -t-araefta- χ-f (+χ-pcl)
'be implanted' -eert -YQtt — (only χ-pcl)
'destroy' -ahlak- -hallask- — (only χ-pcl)
'make curdle' -s-aslay -s-aslay- X-f(+ X-Pcl)
'be churned' -andu- -niddu- — (only χ-pcl)
c. 'hit' -awat- -(t)-awwat- x-f
For purposes of (91), we focus on the χ-f that lengthens the last V, not on
χ-pcl applying to the first postconsonantal V. The target location for χ-f is
unproblematic in (91.a). However, (91.b-c) bring out some issues involving the
relationship between χ-f and the other lengthening formative χ-pcl.
(91.b) show that χ-f cannot apply if χ-pcl has applied to the V of the
immediately preceding syllable, except in causatives. In other words, there is a
minor χ-clash avoidance principle here. This is vaguely rhythmical (metrical)
in nature, but either χ-f and χ-pcl can apply with no difficulty to short V's in
spite of an adjacent full-V syllable whose full V is lexical, as in 'be tamed' in
(91.a). Both χ-pcl and χ-f apply audibly in 'have a scare' (91.b), as well as the
cases in (91.a), because there is an intervening syllable. In causative 'make
curdle', both apply even in the absence of the intervening syllable, since
causatives do not respect clash avoidance. However, 'be implanted' (-vrti>)
which like 'have a scare' (-rvftu-) is an unaugmented V-final verb, does not
allow χ-f, since the final (underlying) syllable is adjacent to that already
targeted by χ-pcl. Likewise, 'destroy' allows only χ-pcl.
There is a substantive difference between χ-pcl and χ-f that permits us to
identify them in otherwise ambiguous cases. This is that χ-pcl is observable
only in the LoImpfP, while χ-f applies throughout the long imperfective
system (LoImpfP, LoImpfN, Prohib). For example, 'gallop' in (91.a) has
LoImpfP -t-adaerba-t, LoImpfN (i.e. after Neg waer) -t-adarbi-t, and Prohib
-t-aedaerba-t. All three show the final-syllable full V (χ-f), but only the
LoImpfP shows the full V after the first C position (in this case, -t-).
