A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

8.8 Agentives 543

with the (short) imperfective rather than with the perfectives, and
vocalism except that a stem-initial high full V (u, i) can be retained (as i).
There are additional, idiosyncratic V-length patterns in the various subtypes
that could be represented by special χ formatives, but meaningful
generalization across subtypes is lacking. Both χ-pen, and the particular form
taken by resyllabification including (in T-ka) Stem-Final Gemination (71) in
e.g. agentive e-m-aesaeww (569.f). suggest at least a weak morphological
connection with the VblN.

Consider now the agentives from heavy input verbs in (570).

(570) Agentives with -m- or -n- from Heavy Input Verbs

gloss Imprt Agentive

a. -PvCvC-, Agentive e-m-aePPaeCasC

'boast' baersej e-m-asbbseraej

'be sated' ysewsen e-m-aeyyaewasn

'be filty' maedaes e-n-aemmaedaes

'be resolute' nshasd e-m-asnnaehaed

'imitate' nsehaed e-m-asttaelael (PI i-m-aettaelael-asn)

b. -PvCo- (with augment -t), Agentive e-m-aePPasCi or a-m-sePPzeCu

'gather' ksemae-t o-n-zekkaemu (PI i-n-akkama)

'be coiled' laekae-t e-m-aellaeki (PI i-m-albka)

'be hard' zaewae-t e-m-aezzaswi (PI i-m-azzawa)

c. -PvQRvC-, Agentive e-m-aePPeQRsC

'be blind' daerrael se-m-asdderral (A-grm)

'peck' kaewkaew e-m-aekkewkaw

'shake' kaeykaey e-m-aekkeykay

'die' aemmset e-n-aemmettan ('corpse')

[agentive also e-n-ammetan ; for 'die' see §7.3.2.1)

d. -PvQQvC-, Agentive e/ae-m-aePPaQQuC

'witness' raeyyaen as-m-aeqqdyyun (R) [verb <Ar]

e. -CvCCu- (only clear example), Agentive e-m-aePPeCC

'witness' jaeyh (gaeh) e-m-aejjeyh (PI i-m-ajjuyha)

[agentive also e-m-aejjaeyh, e-m-sjjayhi]

f. -CvCCu- (with augment -t), Agentive e-m-aePPeCCi and variants

'be freed' daerfae-t e-n-aedderfi (PI i-n-addurfa)

e-n-aeddaerfe (A-grm)

'be farmer' Y&rhae-t e-m-zeqqerhi (PI i-m-aqqurha)