A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

254 5 Noun phrase structure

Example: osas-nastAadd s ly-ast "iy-aet 'they-Fe came one at a time'.

5.1.2.7 Ordinals

For 'first', the verb -aezzar- 'go ahead, in front' is used in a definite participial
construction: w-α 0-aezzar-aen 'the first one-Ma', t-α t-aezzar-ast 'the first
one-Fe', w-i aezzar-nen 'the first ones-Ma'. Without the demonstrative,
indefinite participles like MaSg Resit 0-aezzar-aen retain the verbal meaning
('going ahead, in front').
For other numerals, a definite relative clause with the usual demonstrative
head (e.g. MaSg w-α) plus cliticized Instrumental preposition -\s followed by
the numeral itself (in the appropriate gender form). Masculine ordinals are
illustrated in (240).

(240) Ordinals (Masculine)

ordinal phrase gloss

a. w-ä-\s assin 'second'

b. w-a-\s settam 'ninth'

c. w-a-\s "t-ae-medeι 'hundredth'

5.1.2.8 Other quantifiers

The universal quantifier 'all, every' is fukk in the Timbuktu area (T-ka, T-md,
R), kul in A-grm (as in Tamajak), and rarsd around Κ (extending south into
some Gao-area varieties), kul is presumably from Arabic kull-, but kul 'all' is
also used in some Songhay languages.
fukk can be used as a noun with possessive complement: fukk-naewasn 'all
of us'. Often it is NP-final (241.a) or clause-final (241.b), cf. "floating" all in
English. In (241.c) it could be analysed as either NP-final or clause-final. It is
independently accented even when adjacent to the relevant core NP.

(241) a. [dzraf fukk] l-mmanda
[money all] 3MaSg-finish.PerfP
'All the money is finished (=has been spent).'

b. azrafι l-mmanda fukk

money 3MaSg-finish.PerfP all

'The money is all finished.'