4.1 Noun morphology 1694.1.2.5 Feminine suffix -ast
Perhaps as many as 40 nouns have a distinct Fe suffix -aet. These nouns lack
Fe prefix t- and Fe suffix -t-. The suffix -aet is most directly comparable to the
productive FeSg participial FeSg suffix -aet (§8.5). Both differ phonologically
from the regular FeSg nominal suffix -t, not only in the presence of the short
vowel as, but also in allowing default antepenultimate accent. By contrast, the
regular nominal FeSg suffix -t does not allow antepenultimate accent.
One difference between nominal Fe -aet and participial FeSg -ast is that the
nominal suffix often remains in the plural (-aet-en), while the participial suffix
is used only in the singular (plural participles have PI suffix -nen regardless of
gender). However, some nouns with Fe -aet in the Sg optionally drop it before
FePl -en, thus t-a-zaebdaer-aet 'python' (note the antepenultimate accent), PI
t-i-zaebdaer-aet-en or t-i-zaebdaer-en. The dialects seem to vary in this respect
(FePl -en versus -aet-en).
Many nouns with Fe -aet are borrowings from Arabic (which has FeSg
suffix -at-), and they tend to be terms with Islamic connotations. Those that
occur in my data and require FeSg agreement (for at least one informant
checked) are aelmaenfaei-aet 'benefit', aelmaerr-aet 'time', aelribäd-ast
'imploring (God)' (Gao variant), alqsbil-aet 'clan, (sub-)tribe', ael?dd-£et
'custom', aeliasldm-aet 'sign', aelmaenfae?-aet 'benefit', aelmaertaeb-aet 'value',
aelhal-aet 'system', aellaewr-aet 'language', aslaxaer-aet 'Afterlife',
aelzaemdr-aet 'assembly', aelzaenn-aet 'paradise', aerrdm-aet 'beneficial effect',
aerraexm-aet 'blessing', aessdr-ast 'hour', asssdh-aet 'strength', aessor-aet
'chapter of Koran', and seh-aet 'health'. The ael... or si... is the Arabic Definite
prefix, which assimilates totally to most coronal consonants (e.g. r). The plural
in -aet-en is exemplified by aelmaerr-ast-en 'times'.
There are also a few feminine nouns in -aet that do not seem to have
Arabic sources. Perhaps some of these originated as feminine participles.
Those known to me are t-ae-bssslllaew-aet 'Salvadora fruit', t-a-bar-ast 'road',
t-anaerw-aet 'python', t-oraw-aet (variant t-arew-aet) 'honey', m-asael-aet
'listening', saller-aet 'good behavior', m-üsn-aet 'knowledge', saelb-aet 'an
intestinal disease of animals', t-aessar-aet (A-grm) 'street' (= t-ae-sarra-t-t in
Timbuktu), t-asaw-aet 'shrub sp.', waens-aet 'rabies', and ajjaluy-aet 'speaking
seriously' along with a few other nominals of the same pattern sPPaCuC-aet
(545.g-h). An example of the plural is t-oraew-aet-en 'honeys'. For 'evil eye,
gossip' I have both feminine t-agaers-ast and masculine gaersa (with slight
semantic differences) for K-d.
The ending -aet in nouns borrowed from Arabic is not always interpreted
as feminine, and I have recorded masculine (or inconsistent feminine and
masculine) agreement for some relevant items. For example, aelqiblaet 'north'
was recorded for A-grm, with masculine agreement. Another example: a noun
for 'peace' takes the forms aelrafayaet and aelfafet in the Timbuktu area, often
with masculine agreement and so doubtfully segmentable, but for A-grm I
recorded aslrdfy-ast with feminine agreement. Several of the relevant terms