A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

460 8 Verbal derivation

The PerfP of the inputs in (469.a-b) already have a surface stem-wide

melody, allowing for V-Height Compromise in the leftmost column of (469.a).

The causatives show α with no compromising trace of the lexical high V. In

(469.c-d), the inputs have a composite melody but the causatives show

strict .

As seen in 'be wounded', 'marry', and 'rotate', the causative does permit a

full V to surface in medial position as long as it is in an open syllable.

However, the cases in (469.d) show shortening of the V when the syllable is

closed. This is due to Causative Medial V-Shortening (122), see §3.4.9.4

Other forms for these causatives are given in (470).

(470) Further MAN Stems for Causatives of Heavy C-Final Verbs (same

verbs as (469))

Imprt LoImpfP VblN

a. s-abbiwas -s-abawas- a-s-abbiwas

s-adduban -s-ldubun- a-s-adduban

b. s-akkarakar -s-lkrukur- a-s-akkarukar

s-ammalawlaw -s-unlawliw- a-s-ammalawlaw

c. s-abbarjajjay -s-abaerjaejjay- a-s-abbarjajjay

s-akkaykay -s-akaeykay- a-s-akkaykay

s-ahhajay -s-ahaejay- a-s-ahhajay

d. s-ahhassal

V VI vv 1

-s-ihassul- a-s-ahhassal

[LoImpfP also -s-ahaessal-]

s-addarhan -s-adaerhan- a-s-addarhan

s-abbaddal -s-lbaddul- a-s-abbaddal

The Imprt (and Shlmpf) forms have strictly melody, contrasting

maximally with the perfectives. The same melody is found in the VblN,

as in all causative VblNs. There are variants (not shown) with final ...CaC

instead of ...CaC, as usual with VblN's of heavy stems, e.g. a-s-abbtwas.

The characteristic long imperfective melody, seen in the LoImpfP, is

tricky. If there is a u in the stem it forces melody, but with all the

shortening rules in causatives the number of u's is limited; see -s-ldubun- in

(470.a) and -s-lkrukur- in (470.b). If there is a medial i, we get , as with

underived stems with medial i, see -s-abawas- (470.a). In other stems, we

normally get if the stem has an onset allowing Syncope, e.g.

-s-lmlawliw- in (470.c), otherwise is preferred.

In -s-lhassul-, the melody and the u vowel are not quite regular, if we

assume the basic causative form is -s-vhvssvl- with no u vowel after Causative

Medial V-Shortening. -s-lhassul- seems to have been influenced by the u in