A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

7.2 Stern categories 303

e. 'cut up' -aeblaejbaelaej- 'sing' -aegrarass- 'go down' -setrara-

balajbalaj garuras tarur [tae'ror]

f. 'share' -azun- [ae'zun-] 'feel pain' -asnin- 'be far' -üjaj- 'be thirsty' -affud-

ajaj Ifad

azun,ι 7 uzan ι isnan

g. prefixal derivatives (Chapter 8)

'be arrested' -att-armaes- [...-aer...]

'extinguish' -aes-maekae-t 'reply' -ass-üdmasr- 'hit each other' -aenm-aewast-

s-ammaka-t s-üdmar [...maer] nam-awat t-aermaes

While deferring detailed analysis to the sections on particular verb classes,
I can here note some major patterns, beginning with vocalism. In (308.a-b),
and with causative 'reply' and passive 'be arrested' in (308.g), we observe a
basic perfective melody. This melody is realized as surface vocalic
sequence «L» (monosyllabic, in the short variant -jaen- of 'kneel', though this
is confined to certain dialects, and even there it is arguably underlying
bisyllabic /-ajaen-/), «H L» (bisyllabic), «Η Η L» (trisyllabic), «Η Η L L»
(quadrisyllable), or «HHLLL» (pentasyllable), where each Η is from the set
of high vowels {u a i} and each L is from the set of low vowels {a ae}. The
maximal surface pattern «HHLLL» is 'scrape off in (308.a). This PerfP

melody is applicable to a great many verbs, and is unique (in verbal
morphology) to the perfective (especially PerfP). The corresponding Imprt
forms in (308.a) and for 'be arrested' in (308.g) show either pure or pure
melody; those in (308.b) are mostly analysable as having underlying
(e.g. aebs is analysable as /asbsi/ ending in an underspecified high V).
In (308.c-e), and in causative 'extinguish' and reciprocal 'hit each other' in
(308.g), we observe a perfective melody; note that mid vowels jeo} are
compatible with melody, though more needs to be said about them. A
case can be made that in those stems involving syncopated vowels, i.e. (308.g,
e), the pure melody is derived from underlying via Stem-Initial
Syncope and Leftward L-Spreading, see §3.4.6. However, the verbs in
(308.c-d) have a version of pure perfective melody and do not syncopate.
The verbs in (308.d, f) are predominantly adjectival in sense. This class
has Imprt vowel sequence «i α» or «u α», which typically occurs throughout
the short and long imperfectives and in some nominals. The perfectives are
lexically idiosyncratic in form, and some do not allow subject prefixes. The
perfectives in (308.d) have melody, while those in (308.f) have
melody, but since the perfectives are lexically specific I prefer not to attempt
to derive them by componential ablaut as I do for the nonadjectival verb
classes.

A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

Get our desktop app

Company

Features

Documentation

Resources