A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

724 16 Text

ά-lyad

Sg-child

'When the chief (=JackaI) arrived here (=there), the first thing he

asked about (was) what was making the boy weep.'

[noun plus Possessive η plus embedded clause §13.10, subject relative

with LolmpfP participle, object relative without external head noun

§12.1.2]

(948) l-nna-\0-s Vmaknud,

3MaSgS-say.PerfP-\Dat-3Sg Sg-midget,

waedden haeraet maeqqor-aen

not thing big-Partpl.MaSg

'The midget said to him, "it's nothing big.'"

[negative copula §9.5]

(949) ά-lyad dl i-lmad a-\s

Sg-child NearDist 3MaSgS-know.Reslt Dem-\Instr

hak d-sael i-mmlklasw

every Sg-day 3MaSgS-eat.lunch.Reslt

[as kaerad-ast "t-a-marw-en]

[Instr three-FeSg Fe-Pl-ten-FePl]

η nae-Yaef η "ae-baegg

Poss Sg-head Poss Sg-jackal

[midget:] '"This boy is accustomed to lunch every day on thirty heads

of jackals.'"

['be accustomed to' (=Resultative of 'know') with 'that' complement

§13.7.1, decimal numeral 'thirty' §5.1.2.4, stacked possessives ('thirty

of head of jackal')]

(950) ά-sasl 1 [war l-hsnnay] ar ly-sen,

Sg-day Prox [Neg 3MaSgS-see.LoImpfN] except one-Ma

[midget:] '"Today, he only sees one (jackal head).'"

['not' + 'except X' = 'only X'; LoImpfN verb after Negative w&r

§§7.2.5.2]

(951) a-wen-daer
Dem-Dist-Anaph
[a-\tt i-s-alhe-n]
[Foc-\3SgO 3MaSgS-Caus-weep.LoImpfP-Partpl.MaSg]
[midget:] '"That's what is making him weep.'"
[subjectfocalization §12.2.1]