A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

7.3 Verb classes and irregular verbs 355

(358) PerfP and PerfN of aJi Verb -vhlo- 'weep'

PerfP PerfN

a. PerfP = PerfN

1P1 n-alha

1-lha

t-alha

waer n-alha

war i-lha

wser t-alha

3MaSg

3FeSg

b. PerfP = PerfN (accidentally?)

lSg alhe-v

2Sg t-alhe-d

war alhe-r

waer t-alhe-d

c. PerfP Φ PerfN with /-aeC/ subject suffix

2MaPl t-alhae-m

3MaPl alhae-n

waer t-alhe-m

war alhe-n

d. PerfP * PerfN with /-Caet/ subject suffix

2FePl t-alhiE-maet

3FePl alhae-naet

waer t-alhe-maet

war alhe-nast

The PerfN differs from the PerfP only insofar as the PerfN ablaut
formative e-pclf can produce an audible difference. This is only possible
when the sequence to which Ε-pelf applies is a light stem ending in ...CaeC-.
If the stem is heavy, e-pclf does not attach audibly under any circumstances,
and if the stem is light but does not have ae in its final syllable E-pclf can have
no effect.
In (358.a-b), the stem is light but does not end in ...CaeC-. Ironically, in
(358.b) the final-syllable V is already e due to VV-Contraction. In (358.c), if
we take the surface PerfP form including the suffix (and the results of
VV-Contraction) as the domain of PerfN ablaut, we have the requisite light
...CaeC- sequence (disregarding internal morpheme breaks), and the e-pclf
formative can attach audibly. In (358.d), this is again true, if we allow only the
suffix-initial C to be part of the ablaut domain. Suggested derivations, parallel
to those in (357.b), above, are given in (359) for -vnsi> 'excuse'.