A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

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376 7 Verbal morphology

For -biwvs- 'be wounded', the PerfP is T-ka -aebewaes- and A-grm

-abbewaes-. However, for R and K-d I got an alternative basic stem -buyvs-,

hence PerfP -aeboyaes-. For other cases of metathesis see §3.2.2.1.

Another irregular verb is 'go north' (also 'look up' and other senses),

whose basic form seems to hesitate between -juzvy- and -jizvy-. Most of the

data point to -juzvy- (e.g. PerfP attestations are widespread -aejozasy- or

-segozaey-, and A-grm -agguzzaey-; LoImpfP attestations are widespread

-t-yuzuy- and A-grm -t-"iguzziy-). However, a-jizay is attested (T-md) as an

uncommon term for 'north', the regular VblN is attested both as α-juzay and

α-jizay, and Imprt jazasy was recorded for T-ka (versus jü^ay in most dialects,

A-grm güzzay). That jazaey with short imperfective melody, usually a

sign of lexical i, was once more widespread is suggested by the archaic phrasal

compound jazaey t-a-fukk 'Heliotropium plant' (originally "look/go up to the

sun!"), cf. §5.2.4.8.

As throughout this chapter, the data here are from underived verbs.

However, in the case of -CuCvC- verbs it is important to mention that

causative -s-uCvC- and mediopassive -m-uCvC-, whether derived from

-vPPvC- or -uCvC- stems, have their own idiosyncracies with respect to

vocalism. Specifically, mediopassive -m-uCvC- strong favors i as medial full

V and avoids C,-Gemination, hence -m-iCvC- (PerfP -aem-eCasC-, Imprt

m-aCasC), while causative -s-uCvC- (at least in T-ka) strongly favors u and

implements C,-Gemination in the perfectives (but not in the Shlmpf), hence

-s-uCvC- (PerfP -aess-oCaiC-, Imprt s-aCaeC). See chapter 8 for details

including dialectal variation.

It can also be mentioned that non-augment V-final -CDCU- verbs, which

generally treat the medial vowel in the same way as -CuCvC- stems, include a

few -CuCi> verbs with lexical u (as well as some -CiCu- verbs with medial i)

that have melody in imperfectives: -hunu- 'move out', PerfP -aehona-,

Imprt /ham/. A greater number of -CuCo- verbs, however, have

imperfective melody (§7.3.1.14).

7.3.1.8 Full-V-initial C-final -vCvC- and -vCCvC-

Verbs with final V, and verbs with medial full V, have now been covered. It

remains to cover verbs with initial full V, before proceeding to verbs with

more than one of these characteristics, and to adjectival verbs that have their

own special features.

Initial full V's occur only in light stems. The basic stem-shapes for this

section are therefore -uCvC- and -uCCvC-. (For verbs with both initial and

final full V's, i.e. OCD- and -UCCU-, see §7.3.1.15). Heavy stems (excluding

imperfectives of adjectival verbs) are all C-initial.

The major set of -uCvC- and -uCCvC- verbs has a complex vocalism,

where the initial full V appears as ο in perfectives, α in short imperfectives,

and (in most dialects) i in long imperfectives. I will present this class first.
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