A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

448 8 Verbal derivation

with the causative of true input -uPvC-, namely -s-iPvC-, see (456) below,
though the difference between u and i permits the two to be distinguished in
imperfective stems.
A characteristic of these causatives from -vPPvC- inputs is that both
simple and double causative prefixation is attested. Consider the data in (455),
where the underived inputs are -vffvy- 'be poured' and -vddvh- 'pound (grain,
in mortar)'.

(455) Causative Stems for -vPPvC- Verbs

simple causative double causative

'make flow' 'make pound'

-s-ufvy- -s-vs-udvh-

a. perfective system

PerfP -aess-ofaey- -aes-s-adaeh-

Reslt -aess-ofaey- -aes-s-ddaeh-

PerfN -aess-ofaey- -aes-s-adaeh-

b. short imperfective system

Shlmpf -s-üfsy- -s-sss-udah-

Imprt s-üfay s-sss-udsh

c. long imperfective system

LoImpfP -s-lfuy- -s-ls-uduh-

LoImpfN -s-lfiiy- -s-as-uduh-

Prohib -s-lfuy- -s-as-uduh-

d. nominalizations

VblN a-s-üfsy a-s-ass-udsh

a-s-ufay a-s-sss-iidah

For 'make flow' we have single prefixation, for 'make pound' double

prefixation. I have also recorded double prefixation for the causative

-s-vs-umvY- of 'make search' from -vmmvr- 'search'. The single-prefixation

type occurs in several other examples, e.g. -s-uvvl- 'give back' (or 'make

wait') and -s-ujvs- 'make enter'.

The ο in the perfectives of 'make flow', e.g. PerfP -aess-ofaey-, is arguably

another case of a stem-wide <L> perfective melody overlaid on a lexical u,

producing mid-height ο by V-Height Compromise (§3.4.7).

The long imperfective vocalic sequence «i u» seen in LoImpfP -s-ifuy-

requires a shift of the features back and rounded from the V of the first stem

syllable to the V of the second, as in the long imperfectives of trisyllabic (and

longer) underived verbs. As usual, this shift does not apply in A-grm, for

which I recorded LoImpfP -s-ufiy-.