A Grammar of Tamashek (Tuareg of Mali)

686 13 Clausal subordination

b. ae-kall dar 0-aemos [aj-kail Adas γ waer

Sg-land also 3MaSgS-be.Reslt [Sg-land-\in Neg

ksnna-n addinast t-a-m-Szzuq-q]

do.much.LoImpfN-3MaPlS people Fe-Sg-0-live.VblN-FeSg]

'The land too is a land in which people do not live very much.'

13.5.6 'do many times' (-s-vjvt-)

A similar sense 'do many times' can be expressed with causative verb -s-vjvt-

'make numerous; accumulate' as main-clause verb.

(841) ses-jast-aer t-ekle

Caus-be.many .PerfP-1 SgS Fe-go.VblN

'I've gone many times.' [K-d]

13.5.7 'do frequently' (-vrsvj-)

'Frequently' can be expressed by a matrix clause with verb -vrsvj- 'do

frequently, be frequent' in the Resit with the appropriate subject pronominal,

followed by a VblN complement (842). The Centripetal clitic here is

associated with the complement 'come'.

(842) 3rsaej-aen-\a-naer-\add t-assaw-t

be.frequent.Reslt-3MaPlS-\0-lPl-\Centrip Fe-come.VblN-FeSg

'They-Ma frequently come to us.'

'Do frequently' can also be expressed by a matrix clause with invariant

3MaSg Resit i-rsaej 'it is frequent' and a complement clause beginning with

a-\s 'that'; for an example see (681.c) in §10.4.

13.5.8 'can' (-dubi> + -t)

This verb often takes complements with a-\d (§13.3.2), but it can also take
simple VblN complements (843).

(843) waer aeddobe-r t-ldhaw-t

Neg be.able.PerfN-lSgS Fe-pound.VblN-FeSg

Ί cannot pound (grain, in mortars).' [K]