A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

52 3 Phonology

vomit' (but dialectally n-bdss). If we choose Ca- as the basic representation,

we must apply VV-Contraction to delete the schwa before a stem-initial V, as

in PerfP -ajjass- 'enter' in 1P1 /na-ajjaes/—» n-ajjaes 'we entered', and PerfP

-oyya- 'leave' in 1P1 n-oyya 'we left'. See §7.4.1 for more dialectal detail on

this matter.

3.2.3.3 VV-Contraction at suffixal or clitic boundaries

In this section I will first cover verb-suffix combinations, then noun-suffix

combinations, then combinations involving clitics.

Verbs may end in a full V {i α u}, or in one of the underspecified vocalic

segments hi or /A/ (§3.1.2.4). In this section I discuss contractions, beginning

with inflectional suffixes and then passing to clitics.

With inflectional suffixes, the initial V is always as ore. This affects

subject suffixes (lSg -aer, 2Sg -aed, 3MaPl -aen, 2MaPl -aem), Participial

suffixes (MaSg -aen, FeSg -ast), and MaPl Imperative O-aet. These suffixes

always contract with a preceding vowel (there is no insertion of h or of a

semivowel). One suffix begins with a full V, namely Hortative O-et. This

suffix contracts with a preceding deletable stem-final V, but when it follows a

full V (as in some long imperfectives) we get an allomorph O-het that does

not require VV-Contraction. The outputs of VV-Contraction are shown in (37).

(37) Verb plus Inflectional Suffix VV Outputs

a. deletable stem-final V[ plus full V 2

/A + e/ —» e

/i + e/ —» e

b. high full V! plus short V 2

/u + ae/ —> u

/i + ae/ —> i

c. deletable stem-final V[ plus short V 2

/i + as/ —» as with lSg subject -aer or MaPl Imprt C)-ast

/i + ae/ —> a otherwise (2Sg -aed, 2MaPl -asm, 3MaPl -aen)

/A + ae/ —> as

d. lal plus short V 2 (see discussion below for specific contexts)

/a + as/ —» e [augmented verb]

/a + ae/ —> as [non-augment verb, PerfP]

[this ae can be modified by ablaut to e (PerfN) or α (Resit)

(37.a) applies to combinations of deletable stem-final V, as in many short

imperfective verbs, plus Hortative P)-et (§7.2.3.3). The stem-final V is simply