A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

192 4 Nominal and pronominal morphology

ae-lata i-lat-an 'midriff

ae-liwa i-liw-an (A-grm) 'millet porridge'

£e-maka i-mak-an 'castrated bull'

ae-saka i-sak-an 'mount camel'

ae-danda i-dand-an 'dung pile'

ae-falka i-falk-an 'hockey stick'

ae-jamba i-jamb-an 'hippo'

ae-saqqa i-saqq-an 'grass sp.'

ae-salwa i-sdlw-an 'brousse tigree'

ae-sanna i-sann-an 'Maytenus tree'

ae-zarma i-zarm-an (A-grm) 'Zarma person'

[T-ka ae-zorma, PI i-zorm-an]

a-hyaegaela i-hyaegajl-an (K-f) 'crest of rooster' (vsgl)

a-maelaeja i-maelaej-an 'Aerva bush'

a-gaelaegka i-gselaeqk-an (A-grm) 'head rag'

a-raelaebba i-raelaebb-an 'large tom-tom'

a-jaeraeyya i-jaereeyy-an (T-ka) 'skink'

[i-gaeraeyy-an A-grm]

a-karamma i-karsmm-an (A-grm) 'piece'

a-laebaejja i-laebaejj-an 'fine meal'

a-laemmaeya i-laemmaey-an (A-grm) 'colon'

a-raerasqqa i-raeraeqq-an (A-grm) 'zorilla (fox)'

c. Sg and PI with default antepenultimate accent (rare)

ά-taggi l-lsgg-αη (T-md) 'plant sp.'

[PI elsewhere i-laggi-taen]

ά-laesso l-laess-αη 'black turban cloth'

[verified for T-ka, T-md, and K-d, no other PI recorded]

a-faezaeza i-faezaez-αη (A-grm, Gao) 'ratel (mammal)'

[elsewhere (with k) Sg a-kaezaeza, PI i-kaezaez-an]

In (169.a), the Sg already has marked penultimate accent (which is then
carried over in the PI). This type is rare in my Timbuktu-area data though
somewhat more common in A-grm. It is phonologically unproblematic. The
pattern in (169.b), where the Sg has default antepenultimate accent while the
PI has (apparently shifted) penultimate accent, is extremely common. Since
there is no obvious morphological basis for the accent shift, I conclude that
Default Accentuation applies here to a representation prior to the
VV-Contraction rule. For example, 3-biwa 'animal pen' has a PI /i-biwa-aen/,
which becomes /a-blwa-aen/ by Default Accentuation, then i-biw-αη by
VV-Contraction. Because the PI has a surface penultimate accent, I use the
acute (rather than grave) accent. However, allowing for the rule ordering
given, the accent is actually due to Default Accentuation on the (underlying)
antepenult.