A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

200 4 Nominal and pronominal morphology

b. Plural -an with no singular

[none] am-an 'water'

[none] l-m-αη 'self

Finally, consider the masculine/feminine pair in (177), already presented
in part in (173.c).

(177) Masculine/Feminine Pair

singular plural gloss

e-daem i-daem-αη '(male) gazelle'

t-e-däemi-t-t t-i-daema-t-en '(female) gazelle'

These forms bring out the asymmetry between suffixal MaPl and FePl in
cases where a stem-final V undergoes VV-Contraction in the MaPl. The stem-
final V is more visible in the feminines, where it is "protected," so to speak, by
inner Fe suffix -t-. The latter morpheme is carried over into the FePl, before
suffix -en, obviating the need for VV-Contraction.

4.1.2.14 Ablauted MaPl variant -an

Although there are borderline cases and some room for disagreement about
optimal analyses, the cases of MaPl -an in §4.1.2.13, above, can be explained
by simple suffixation of -aen followed by VV-Contraction, while those in the
present section can be taken reflecting suffixation of -aen followed by ablaut.
The ablaut components are the usual PI melody plus the V-length
formative χ-f (§4.1.2.15, below).
I begin with some Sg/Pl alternations that involve the most dramatic stem
changes (178), clearly pointing to ablaut.

(178) Ablauted MaPl-an

singular plural gloss

a. Sg -CaeCasC, PI -CaCC-an

e-baekaer 1-bskr-an 'young ram'

e-daeraef "l-dsrf-an 'front tooth'

e-raesasr l-rssr-an 'flooded area'

e-jaedaer l-jadr-an 'vulture'

e-jaedaes 1-jsds-an 'family'

e-jaedael 1-jadl-an 'fall'

e-kaesaem l-kssm-an 'mountain pool'

e-laekaet 1-bkt-an 'branch'