A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

134 3 Phonology

vacillated between a-s-sCsC and ά-s-CaC for the VblN's. Thjs speaker gave
both ά-s-daw (ΡΠ-s-diw-asn) and a-s-adaw (PI i-s-adiw-asn) for 'arranging'.

3.4.9 V-Shortening rules and u-Spreading

V-final verbs shorten their final V before C-initial suffixes. For non-augment
V-final verbs, the shortening is limited to α becoming ae (§3.4.9.1). For
augment verbs, the stem-final V (high or low) is shortened before Augment -t-.
There are also processes (subject to dialectal variation) involving shortening of
a stem-medial full V, and/or spreading of u from medial to final vowels, in
certain paradigmatic and derivational forms of heavy verbs (§3.1.9.3). Finally,
there are some idiosyncratic V-Shortening processes that occur in connection
with the derivation of causatives from other verbs (§3.1.9.4).

3.4.9.1 Presuffixal α-Shortening (Non-Augment Verbs)

To begin with, non-augment V-Final verbs shorten a stem-final α to ae before
C-initial suffixes (but not clitics). This analysis is based on the assumption that
the stem-final V's in question (see §7.3.1.3, §7.3.1.5) would otherwise appear
as the full vowel a. The full set of C-initial suffixes that can follow an
inflectable verb stem are listed in (107).

(107) Suffixes Inducing Presuffixal α-Shortening

a. C-initial subject suffixes (3FePl -naet, 2FePl -mast)

b. C-initial Participle suffix (PI -nen)

I now argue that the same Presuffixal α-Shortening may also apply before
some (but not all) V-initial suffixes. Here, however, the phonology is less
transparent since VV-Contraction (37) is also involved (§3.2.3.3).
Consider the data in (108), using the light V-final stem -vksu- 'eat'.

(108) PerfP of Light V-Final Verb ('eat')

a. 1-ksa 'he ate'

b. sksas-naet 'they-Fe ate'

c. t-akse-d 'you-Sg ate' (likewise lSg akse-r)

d. sksai-n 'they-Ma ate' (likewise 2MaPl t-sksae-m)

The stem-final full α is seen when there is no subject suffix (108.a). Before
a C-initial suffix, /a/ shortens to χ (108.b). With a -asC suffix, VV-Contraction
(37.d) applies, but we get either ...e-C (lSg, 2Sg) or ...as-C (2MaPl, 3MaPl) as
output. In the {lSg 2Sg} case (108.c), accent is compatible with late