A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

574 9 Verb phrases and other predications

(607) a. 1-waet 3-janna

3MaSgS-hit.PerfP S Sg-rain

'The rain struck (=fell).'

b. 1-nhaey

3MaSg-see.PerfP

'He saw the rain.'

a-jsnna

Sg-rain

In (607.a), Prefix Reduction has applied, so the postverbal noun must be
the subject (which is therefore coindexed to the 3MaSg subject prefix.) In
(607 .b), the absence of Prefix Reduction tells us that the postverbal noun is the
object.
The object may be pronominalized, in which case it appears as an object
clitic such as 3MaSg -\tt varying with -\e. For clitics see Chapter 10.

9.1.2 Intransitive

Of course the usual one-place predicates ('go', 'sleep', etc.) are intransitive.
More interesting is the fact that many pairs of intransitive and (derived)
causative are translation equivalents, respectively, of passives (e.g. 'be cut')
and simple transitives ('cut'), reversing the derivational directionality of
English and other European languages. Examples of such intransitives are
(Imprt) ümam 'be sucked' and ükmas 'be scratched'; see §8.1.1.

9.1.3 Ambi-valent intransitive/transitive verbs

There are some ambi-valent verbs that can be used intransitively or
transitively without affixal differentiation (i.e. with no overt derivational
directionality). The intransitive may function as an agentless (medio-)passive
(608.a). In these cases it is not immediately clear which valency is more basic.
Often the intransitive is resultative in function, and takes the Resit stem shape,
whereas the transitive occurs in the PerfP to denote a past action. Or the
intransitive may function as an objectless antipassive (608.b). In these cases
the transitive function seems primary, and the intransitive function merely
omits an unspecified (or obvious) object. In addition to high-frequency cases
like those in (608.b), quite a few transitives can be used occasionally in this
antipassive, or unspecified-object, construction.