A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

270 5 Noun phrase structure

g. t-azzal ά-vaeba

3FeSgS-stretch.ShImpf Sg-mouth.bit

'rainbow' (A-grm)

h. t-awal ae-lata

3FeSgs-guard.ShImpf Sg-water.lily.leaves

'lily-trotter, jacana' (bird that can walk on water lily leaves)

The verb in these examples can be identified as short imperfective, but

there is some ambiguity as to whether it is the inflectable Shlmpf or bare (in

the latter case it would be identical to the Sg Imprt). In (265.a-d) there is no

subject affix, and the compound is treated as MaSg for purposes of agreement,

but since the stem is C-initial we cannot exclude the possibility that an original

3FeSg prefix t- has been lost. In (265.e), there is clearly no subject affix,

making an identification as Sg Imprt possible. In (265.f-h), on the other hand,

there is an audible 3FeSg prefix, and the compound as a whole is treated as

feminine in agreement. Perhaps in (265.e) the unprefixed "imperative"

functions as the masculine counterpart of such feminines.

The verb in (265.b) can mean 'look up' or 'go north, go away from river',

and cognates in some non-Malian Tuareg varieties mean 'go up'. Perhaps 'look

up (at sun)' is pertinent to this compound.

While the transcriptions in (265) shows word boundaries between verb and

noun, these compounds can function as simple stems. For example,

'woodpecker' (265.c) can be pluralized as kaewkaew-i-rbab-tasn with MaPl

suffix -taen. Note that i-rbab 'tree holes' is already plural (by ablaut), so -taen

can only be taken as suffixed to the entire stem: [kaewkaew WbabJ-tasn.

As an example of the mutations that can occur with semi-transparent

compounds, consider the three variants in (266), all of which denote the same

bird (scrub-robin or similar species), t-a-rsat-t means 'bit of excrement, animal

dropping(s)'.

(266) a. aggad t-a-rsat-t

jump Fe-Sg-dropping-FeSg

b. asgu t-a-rsat-t

make[?] Fe-Sg-dropping-FeSg

c. aeggu t-a-rsat-t

son.of[?] Fe-Sg-dropping-FeSg

The first variant appears to contain (Imprt) aggad 'jump'. The second is
more difficult to segment, but aegu could be taken as a dialectal variant of
Imprt £ej 'make'. In the third, the onset resembles aegg 'son of, but in such a
compound one would expect Prefix Reduction in the following noun. Both
segu and aeggu could further be taken as containing ü 'owner of, in which case