A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

546 8 Verbal derivation

with melody as agentive. I refer to this formation as "Agent/Instrument"
since some cases are instrumental rather than agentive (§8.12.1, below).
Marginal, lexicalized agentive-like forms with unusual vocalism are given
in (571). The base verbs are intransitive verbs denoting handicaps or disease.

(571) Irregular Agentives

gloss Imprt Agentive Agentive gloss

a. as-m-aCCiC

'be sick' Irhan ae-m-arhin 'sick person'

'be crippled' abdan as-n-dbdin 'cripple' (A-grm, K)

[see also variant under (c)]

b. ae-m-dCCoC

'crave' ansay ae-m-ansoy 'one who craves'

[agentive also ae-m-ansay (K-d)]

c. a-m-aeCCoC

'be crippled' sbdan a-n-aebdon

'blaspheme' skfsr a-n-aekfor

'be quick' smsad a-n-aemsod

'be pampered' anhaj a-m-aenhoj

'be weak' arkam a-n-aerkom

d. a-m-aeCoC

'be greedy' arsf a-n-aerof

e. ae-m-aCiC (or ae-m-aCeC)

'be near' ahaz ae-m-ahiz

f. e-m-eCCeC

'change' maeskael e-meskel

g. e-m-aCCsC

'be thin' "isdad e-m-asdsd

'cripple'

'violent person'

'quick one'

'spoiled child'

'weak one'

'greedy one'

'one who lives nearby'

'crazy person'

'very thin one'

In the case of 'one who lives nearby' (571.a), the regular agentive would
be #as-m-ahaz. However, a slightly irregular variant of this, namely ae-n-ahaz,
is already in use in a specialized sense 'close kinsman'.
Perhaps a-m-ashol 'fearless one' is another case involving ο (cf. t-ahol-ast
'fearlessness'), but the simple verb seems not to occur.