A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

476 8 Verbal derivation

d. nominalizations

VblN α-m-aks a-m-asaww (Pll-m-asw-an)

(cf. Agentive e-m-aeks 'eater', e-m-aesaeww 'drinking place')

For R and K-d dialects, which do not shift the accent to the epenthetic
vowel in the short imperfective of 'be drunk', we get Imprt m-aeseew (K-d, R)
and Shlmpf -ae mm-aesasw- (attested for K-d in 3MaSg future ad
0-semm-aesa2w). K-d and R dialects do have VblN α-m-asaw with shifted
accent.
There are also some nominal derivations involving -m- (and dissimilated
variant -n-), including agentives (§8.8) and locational nominals.

8.4 Reciprocal -nvm-, -m-, -n-

The highly productive Reciprocal prefix creates derived verbs with senses like

'(hit/see) each other', where there is some overlap in the set of subjects and

objects. In this primary sense, the subject is normally plural: amm-aksae-n

'they ate each other' (-vksu-). The reciprocal can also be used in asymmetrical

predicates, with one referent as subject and the other expressed in a comitative

prepositional phrase. An example is i-nn-akfa-\dar-as 'he engaged in mutual

giving with him/her'. For more on the grammatical range of the reciprocal, and

on alternative constructions, see §15.2.

The forms of the prefix are given in (487).

(487) Reciprocal Prefix Allomorphs

light (and occasionally heavy) verb stems

-n- if stem contains a labial {b m f}

-nvm- otherwise

heavy verb stems

-n- if stem contains a labial jbmf}

-m- or (less often) -nvm- otherwise

The variation between labial m and (dissimilated) alveolar η is shared with

the Mediopassive prefix. Arguably -nvm- is really just a double sequence of

-m- (-n-), i.e. underlying /-m-vm-/, with the first /m/ invariably dissimilating

to the second one (MGT 6.64-65). As usual, the -n- allomorph is realized as m

when immediately followed by a labial, due to Nasal Assimilation, as in

-aem-basbba- 'carry each other' due to a low-level cluster assimilation (the η

does appear in Imprt n-ababb).

In the heavy stems, -m- (-n-) can be taken as either Mediopassive or

Reciprocal. In the great majority of cases, the sense with heavy stems is

reciprocal. However, there are a handful of cases where -m- and -nvm- occur