A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

2.5 Verbs 15

indefinite determiner rather than as a true numeral. In (11), the lexical heads
are 'man' (ll.a-b), 'place' (ll.c), and 'men' (ll.d).

(11) a. ae-hdtas w-ά
Sg-man Ma-Dem.Sg
'this man' (demonstrative)

b. ae-hdbs maeqqor-aen

Sg-man be.big-Partpl.MaSg

'a big man' (relative clause)

c. e-daegg [n ae-habs]

Sg-place [of Sg-man]

'the place of the man' (possessor)

d. sssln meddsn

two.Ma man.Pl

'two men' (numeral)

There is no regular definiteness marking, so in isolated sentences we can
frequently translate NPs as indefinite or definite.

2.5 Verbs

Tamashek verbs have a number of stems distinguished by ablaut. The basic set
of inflectable stems, organized into three subsystems on morphological
grounds, is given in (12).

(12) Verb Stems

a. perfective subsystem

PerfP [perfective positive]

PerfN [perfective negative] (after Neg w£er)

Resit [resultative] (positive only)

b. short imperfective subsystem

Shlmpf [short imperfective] (after Fut ad or complementizer)

Imprt [imperative] (in positive only)