A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

7.2 Stem categories 317

b. Augment -t- absent

3MaPl

2Sg

2MaPl

ISg

ahnaffi-n

t-ahnaffi-d

t-ahnaffi-m

ahnaffi-γ

adruru-n

t-adruru-d

t-adruru-m Ι

adruru-Y

affarru-n

t-affarru-d

t-affarru-m

effarru-Y

([phonetic [...er], [...ΟΥ] [...ΟΥ])

u-Spreading and Medial V-Shortening are typical of T-ka. However, in
some other dialects, Medial V-Shortening is absent, and u-Spreading applies
(in the Shlmpf) only when the source u and the targeted full V are separated by
only a single C. To see this, consider another verb of the 'fly' type, 'be
numerous', with Shlmpf) -abbuffa-t. For T-ka the 3MaPl Shlmpf is abbaffu-n,
parallel to affarru-n in (318.b). However, for R (a Gourma dialect), we get
abbuffe-n, where the medial u is not shortened, and rounding and backing
features are not copied from /u/ onto the stem-final V. On the other hand,
where only one C intervenes, both T-ka and R have 3MaPl Shlmpf
ablambulu-n 'they-Ma roll' alongside 3MaSg Shlmpf i-blambula-t for the
verb -bvlvmbulu-.
Verbs whose basic form (best seen in the imperative) begins in CV... add a
stem-initial short V in the inflected Shlmpf (but not Imprt). Most of the stem-
initial a's and ae's in the Shlmpf stems cited above are due to this process, and
do not appear in the corresponding imperatives. Moreover, in most cases this
Stem-Initial V-Insertion (99) co-occurs with either Stem-Initial Syncope
(101) or Cj-Gemination (103), both of which have the effect of producing a
stem onset of the shape /-vCC.../. The same processes apply in the perfective
stems. However, some verbs (chiefly causatives, but also a handful of
underived -CuCvC- stems) treat perfective and Shlmpf differently with respect
to these stem-initial processes. The rules are given in §3.4.8. Shlmpf examples
are given in the central column, flanked by PerfP and Imprt for comparison, in
(319).

(319) Stem-Initial Processes in Perfective and Short Imperfective Stems

a.

b.

gloss PerfP Shlmpf Imprt

'see' -anhaey- -anhay- anhay

'know' -assaen- -assan- assan

'dig' -aYaes- -3Y3S- 3Y3S

'vomit' -absa- -aebs- aebs

'be ashamed' -aekrakaed- -akrukad- karukad

'converse' -aedwaennae-t -adwanna-t dawanna-t

'cut up' -aeblaejbaelaej- -ablajbalaj- balajbalaj

'shine' -aemlaewlaew- -amlawlaw- malawlaw