440 8 Verbal derivation
0-s-3ss-y3y-9d-\taen Ί-lyad-aen
2S-Caus-Caus-tie.ShImpf-2SgS-\3MaP10 Pl-child-MaPI
'You-FeSg, drive (lit.: "kill") the lambs back here from (out
in) the bush, and tie them up, or have the children tie them
up.'Causatives are readily formed on top of other prefixal derivatives, and
derivational layering can be complexly recursive, e.g. -s-vm-vs-ural-, PerfP
-ass-m-aes-cmel- recommence' (with two Causative prefixes sandwiching -m-,
which is here reciprocal in sense).
An alternative, two-clause construction uses a verb like -s-vhuvssvl-,
PerfP -ss-haessael- 'obligate, force' in the main clause, and a subordinated
clause beginning with a-\d ... (§13.2). -s-vhuvssvl- is itself causative in form.
An example is (450).
(450) aes-haess2el-seq-\q a-\d
Caus-be.necessary-1 SgS-\3MaSgO Dem-\Comit
0-ar [emm η "se-haen]
3MaSgS-open [mouth Poss Sg-house]
Ί made him open the door.' [K-d]
Several verbal concepts that in other languages are expressed by a
morphologically unmarked transitive, with an associated passive, like 'scratch'
and 'be scratched', are expressed in Tamashek by a morphologically unmarked
intransitive ('be scratched') with an associated marked causative ('cause to be
scratched' = 'scratch'), whose own passive forms ('be caused to be scratched'
= 'be scratched') then compete with the unmarked intransitive. Examples of
Tamashek causatives of this type, generally translatable as simple
transitives, include -s-vbrvr- 'ruin', -s-vtfu- 'pour out, dump' (Vdf), -s-ifvl-
'tan (a hide)', and -s-vfrvd- 'sweep'. Not surprisingly, there are a number of
morphological causatives that have no underived verb as base, e.g. -s-wvsvn
'clean teeth (with chewstick)', the passive of causative having ousted an
original unmarked intransitive (which in some cases is preserved in other
Tuareg dialects).
There are also a few causatives that seem to function synchronically as
denominal rather than deverbal, though again this may reflect the
disappearance of a former intransitive verb. An example is causative
-s-vkvdvy- 'forage' with associated noun e-kaede 'foraging'. Another is
causative -s-vftvw- 'seek counsel from (holy man)', related to noun slifta
'counsel' (both from Arabic). Another is -s-vhuhu- 'make smoke (with
incense)' (K-d) from noun £e-ho 'smoke' (PI i-hoh-on). A more interesting
combination is noun attsbal 'drum' (<Arabic) and verb -s-vtvbvl- '(noble
tribe) have (another tribe) as vassals'; the connection is that when chiefs beat
war drums, vassals must assemble.