A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

678 13 Clausal subordination

entity obligated is the direct object of this verb, and reappears in the

complement clause. An alternative is -vfrvd- 'be required of, be a duty for',

whose complement is a PP with preposition fiel 'on' (821.c). The subordinated

clause begins with a-\d (821.a-b), optionally reduced in some dialects to d

(821.c). An alternative construction is with -hussvl- 'be obligatory (on)' with

direct object (82i.d).

(821) a. i-kklrasdAtasn

3MaSgS-obligate.ResltA3MaP10

[a-\d ajb-n]

[DemAComit go.ShImpf-3MaPlS]

'They must (=are obligated to) go.'

[lit. "it obligates them [that they go]"]

b. i-kldrasdAtasn

3MaSgS-obligate.ResltA3MaP10

[a-\d wasr jalta-n]

[DemAComit Neg go.LoImpfN-3MaPlS]

'They must not go.'

c. i-frad-\faell-i [d aglu-γ]

3MaSgS-obligate-\on-lSg [Comit go.Shlmpf-lSgS]

'I'm obligated (lit. "it is obligatory on me") to go." [Hm]

d. 0-aehussaelAt

3MaSgS-be.obligatory.on-\3MaSgO

[a-\d 0-seqqaym]

[DemAComit 3MaSgS-sit.ShImpf]

'He must stay (here).' [K-d]

Another obligational construction uses -νΐυ- 'have', in its usual Resit stem
shape -aid- (or -id-), in the main clause, followed by s 'that' and a-\d.

(822) a. le-r [s a-\d seqqaym-asv]
have.Reslt-lSgS [that DemAComit sit.Shlmpf-lSgS]
Ί must stay (here).' [K-d]

b. Ιά-η

have.Reslt-3MaPl

[s aAd sxdsm-asn]

[that DemAComit work.ShImpf-3MaPlS]

'They-Ma must work.' [K-d]

A common, slightly weaker obligational construction ('should', 'ought to')
involves the verb -vwvr- 'be on' (often in the Resit stem) in the abstract sense