A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

7.2 Stem categories 327

composite <H L> melody

h. light C-final stem with no full V or CC cluster

-vCvC- -aPaC- -(t-)sPPdC-

i. mostly adjectival verbs with «u α» or «i α» imperfective melody

(sometimes alternating with <o u» or <o i» as in perfectives)

-uCaC- -üCaC-

[LoImpfP also -t-iCuC-]

-ICaC-

[LoImpfP also -t-iCuC-]

-t-uCaC-

-iCaC- -t-iCaC-

-uPQaC-

-iPQaC-

-üPQaC-

-IPQaC-

-t-iiPQaC-

-t-iPQaC-

composite <L H> melody

j. (none in T-ka, but for eastern dialects see comment in (f) above

on -uCi>)

In (329.f), the light stems beginning with full υ are tricky. The initial V
appears as ο in perfectives, α in short imperfectives, and i (except α in A-grm)
in long imperfectives. Since perfective ο can elsewhere behave as the overlay
of melody on lexical u, by combining the perfective and long
imperfective data we can at least make a case that the lexical representations
begin in u (or i), which would permit us to combine (329.f) with (329.e).
However, the alternations in the stem-initial V in these verbs are far from
transparent.
The mostly adjectival verbs in (329.i) are morphologically distinctive in
many respects, and since their vocalism is constant throughout the short and
long imperfectives (and often carries through to nominalizations), it is perhaps
best to leave them outside the productive system for determining characteristic
long imperfective melodies. The -vCvC- verbs in (329.h) are also rather
isolated, since they fluctuate between prefixed and unprefixed LoImpfP and
alone among all verbs allow χ-f but not χ-pcl to be expressed audibly.
This leaves two broad alliances, one set with and the other with
as characteristic long imperfective melody. There are two central axes on
which the many stem-shape classes split (330).

(330) Basis for Choice Between and Characteristic Melody

a. all stems: if stem contains a high full vowel i or u, or a stem-initial

full V (which is arguably u), then <H> melody; otherwise

continue to (b-c)