A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

320 7 Verbal morphology

The examples in (321.c-d) are for the verbs with stem-final underspecifed
high vowel III in the inflected Shlmpf. We actually see a manifestation of this
vowel, in the form a, only in the FePl imperatives, e.g. absa-mait 'vomit-
FePl!', where Short-V Harmony has then applied to the word-initial /as/ to
produce another a. In the MaPl imperative, there is no overt sign, direct or
indirect, of a stem-final III. Instead, the -aet suffix behaves like the lSgS suffix
-aer with these same verbs in the inflected Shlmpf, thus compare äebs-aet
'vomit-MaPl!' with ad sebs-aev Ί will vomit'. In the Sg imperative, the III
likewise has no manifestation, but this is typical of word-final position (as also
in the inflected Shlmpf forms with no nonzero subject suffix). I conclude that
the III is deleted (by Stem-Final i/A-Deletion (29), §3.1.2.4) in the (Sg
imperative, and by an ad hoc morphophonological rule before MaPl Imperative
suffix O-aet, but is phonologically active in the FePl imperative.

In (321.d), the Sg Imprt undergoes resyllabification (§3.2.4, §3.3.2), e.g.
/aekn/ —> akan. This does not happen in the plural imperatives, which begin
with a V.
In heavy stems, we can see that the modifications (syncope or gemination)
that occur at the onset of many Shlmpf (and perfective) stems do not apply to
the imperative. Note particularly the final column in (322).

(322) Imperatives of Long Verb Stems

gloss PerfP Shlmpf Sg Imprt

a. Stem-Initial Syncope

'be bunched' -selkaendas-t -alkanda-t lakanda-t

'peel off -aefraeqkasw- -afraqkaw- faraqkaw

b. Stem-Initial Gemination

'coil' -allakae-t -sellaekae-t laekae-t

There is a suppletive Imprt stemlyaew for 'come!' (§7.3.2.8).

A textual example of the imperative is (323).

(323) kam-ak aeyy-\faella-m t-a-dazza
you.FeSg-0 leave.Imprt-\on-2FeSg Fe-Sg-laughter
'You-Fe there, leave from yourself (=cease) laughing!'

The negative imperative (=prohibitive) category is expressed using either
the PerfN or a the Prohib stem of the long imperfective group after Neg
particle waer (§7.2.5.3, below).
For a special 'let's ...!' hortative construction including the Imprt stem, see
§7.2.4.