A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

(Jeff_L) #1
328 7 Verbal morphology

b. light stems unaffected by (a): <L>

c. heavy stems unaffected by (a):
<H> if stem onset is subject to Stem-Initial Syncope (i.e.
superheavy stem beginning in -CvCV...)
<L> if stem onset is subject to CrGemination (i.e. middleweight
-CvCvC- or a stem that begins in -CvCC...)

The patterns in (330) are valid for prefixally derived stems as well. Since
the prefixal C is counted in stem-shape assignment, all prefixally derived verbs
are heavy. Again, an i or u in the basic form of the stem forces melody,
except that -C-iCvC- and -C-iCu- stems have an unstable i that becomes α in
the LoImpfP, which has melody. For stems with no full V, we again get


if the stem begins in -C-vCV..., and if the stem begins in -C-vCV...
and so permits C,-Gemination.
Causative verbs with prefix -s- (or variant, §8.1) have many special
paradigmatic features, including absence of Stem-Initial V-Insertion in the
Shlmpf, and a C,-Gemination that targets the first post-prefixal C in the
Shlmpf (if this C is unclustered) and applies only to superheavy stems (this
excludes -s-vCvC-). Caus prefix -s- does not permit the usual -t- prefix.
Examples showing Shlmpf and LoImpfP are in (331), using the same letter
codes for subsections as in (329), above, though the light stems in (330) have
no counterparts in (331).
(331) Characteristic Long Imperfective Melodies: Causatives

stem shape Shlmpf LoImpfP

stem-wide melody

c. stems with i
-s-iCvC-
-s-vPiCvC-

-s-lCaC-
-s-aPPiCaC-

-s-aCaC-
-s-aPaCaC-

d. heavy stem subject to Ci-Gemination in the perfective (not shown)
-s-vCvC-
-s-vCCvC-
-s-vPvCvC-
-s-vCCu-
-S-VPVCCD-
-s-vCvCCvC-
-s-vCvCCvCCvC-

-s-aCaC-
-s-aCCaC-
-s-aPPaCaC-
/-s-aeCCi-/
/-s-aPPaCCi-/
-s-aPPaCCaC-
-s-aPPaCCaCCaC-

-s-aCaC-
-s-dCCaC-
-s-aPa;CaC-
-s-dCCa-
-s-aPseCCa-
-s-aPseCCaC-
-s-aPseCCaeCCaC-
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