jeff_l
(Jeff_L)
#1
5.2 Possession and compounding 263
5.2.4 Compounds
5.2.4.1 Analytic compounds with an
Most noun-noun "compounds" are expressed analytically as [X [an Υ]] 'X of
Y\ with the regular Possessor preposition an or allomorph η (§5.2.1). The
noun X and the following PP are separately accented, but if the PP is
unaccented and has no more than two syllables a phrasal accent appears on the
final syllable of the compound initial. Either X or Y, or both, may be
pluralized if semantically appropriate. Consider the examples in (254), with
t-e-faetel-t 'lamp, flashlight'.
(254) a. t-e-fietel-t an batron
Fe-Sg-lamp-FeSg Poss gasoline
'gas lamp'
b. t-e-fsetel-t an pil-taen
Fe-Sg-lamp-FeSg Poss battery-MaPl
'flashlight'
This can be expanded by adding a simple demonstrative (MaSg w-ά, FeSg
t-ά, MaPl w-1, FePl t-ί) in apposition to the first noun. These are also the usual
demonstratives found in definite relative clauses (§12.1). The construction is
therefore of the type [X [Dem an Y]], literally 'X, this (one) of Y\ as in (255).
(255) t-e-fietel-t [t-ά η am-an]
Fe-Sg-lamp-FeSg [Fe-this.Sg Poss water-MaPl]
'oil or diesel lamp'
Typologically, these 'lamp' compounds involving an are semantically
ordinary, with the compound final Y denoting a substance or other entity that
characterizes a particular type of the class of entities denoted by the compound
initial X. However, in Tamashek, compounds can also be used in expressions
that correspond to noun-adjective expressions in many other languages.
Because the analytic compound construction is so productive, it is possible for
Tamashek to lexicalize some "adjectival" concepts as nouns.
Although Tamashek has productive gender marking in nouns, the common
terms for many biological species and life-form terms (e.g. 'bird') are fixed
(some are masculine, others feminine). The most reliable way to specify actual
sex of an animal is to form a compound with eyy 'male' or t-ünte 'female' as
compound final (256).
(256) a. e-jasded [n eyy]
Sg-bird [Poss male]
'male bird'
