A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

432 7 Verbal morphology

(440) Pronominal Subject Suffixes on Nonimperative Verbs

ISg -aer

1P1 —

2Sg -aed

2MaPl -aem

2FePl -maet

3MaSg —

3FeSg —

3MaPl -aen

3FePl -naet

By combining (439) and (440), we get the prefix-suffix combinations in
(441). Only the 2nd person forms are "circumfixes" with nonzero prefix and
suffix. The lSg and all 3rd person forms are suffixal, while 1P1 is prefixal.
Because 3FeSg is unsuffixed, it is readily distinguishable from the 2nd person
categories, even though they begin with the same t- prefix.

(441) Pronominal Subject Prefixes and Suffixes on Nonimperative Verbs

prefix suffix

lSg -aer

1P1 n-

2Sg t- -aed

2MaPl t- -aem

2FePl t- -mast

3MaSg i-, 0-

3FeSg t-

3MaPl -aen

3FePl -nset

There is no gender distinction in the 2Sg, though there is in the 2P1 (so
much for markedness universals!).

7.4.1.1 C- versus Ca- and aC- forms of subject prefixes

In most cases, when an inflected verb with nonzero pronominal prefix begins
in Ca... or Cae..., I take the short V to be part of the stem, as in 1P1 PerfP
η-äjjaes 'we entered' and 2Sg Shlmpf t-askkaeykasy-asd 'you-Sg shook off.
This is justified by the fact that the initial V is present when the subject
pronominal is solely suffixal (lSg, 3rd person nonsingular), as in 3MaPl
ajjaes-aen 'they entered' and ad askkaeykaey-aen 'they will shake off.