Block 13 · pages 106-118

Chapter 3: Nominalization – Verbal Nouns, Actor Nominalization, t-...-t Nominalization, and Compounding

3.2.4 Nominalization

3.2.4.1 Verbal nouns

Songhay cognates have no morphological distinction between verbs and verbal nouns (zero-derivation), e.g., waw 'insult / to insult', mun 'pouring / to pour out'. Plural morphemes can be added. Tamasheq cognates use different strategies: prefix a- with stress shift (e.g., katamkatam > a-katamkatam 'cutting into pieces'), prefix a- with /y/ dropping and /a/ insertion (yifaf > ee-faf 'swimming'), or dropping final -at and adding -u (délanf-at > a-délanf-u 'being gooey').

3.2.4.2 Actor nominalization

The default prefix is ma-, with allomorph na- for stems containing a labial consonant (/b, f, m/). Vowels often change to /a/. y-initial verbs drop /y/ (e.g., yinsi > a-ma-nsay 'beggar'). Songhay roots can also take this prefix (zay 'steal' > a-ma-zayzay 'thief'). A minor strategy uses aw- 'person' (sg) and kal 'people' (pl) prefixed to a noun (aw-maamala 'merchant').

3.2.4.3 Nominalization with t-(a-)...-t

This feminine/diminutive marker also forms nouns from verbs, denoting entities with a quality, instruments, results, or abstract nouns. Descriptive verbs produce nouns with those qualities (e.g., fetylel > t-a-fatayl-t 'flat plate'). Color names are productively nominalized (e.g., ciday > t-a-ciday-t 'redness'). Other patterns include ta-CV:CVC-t and ta-CV:CVC-t for y-initial verbs (e.g., yifras > t-a-feeras-t 'piece of cut material'). Instrument nouns are formed with a marker sV- inside the t-...-t frame (e.g., yiytal 'lock' > t-a-s-yfal-t 'lock').

3.2.5 Compounding

Noun-noun compounding is almost entirely absent, unlike Mainstream Songhay. The only compounds with simple juxtaposition are with koy 'owner' (a-mnas-koy 'camel owner', pl. i-minas-kon). A few frozen noun-adjective/verb compounds exist (nana beer-i 'grandmother', lit. 'big mother'; miya kuku 'mosquito', lit. 'long beak'). Some idioms use the genitive n as a link (ganda n caray 'snake sp.', lit. 'friend of the ground'). A bound element agar 'bad' precedes nouns (agar bora 'bad person') without agreement.

Keywords : nominalization verbal nouns zero-derivation actor nominalization ma-prefix t-...-t nominalization instrument nouns compounding

This grammar point in the works

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… .........104 3.2.3.3.2 Plurals without singular ..............................105 3.2.3.3.3 Double plurals............................................106 3.2.4 Nominalization ......................................................106 3.2.4.1 Verbal nouns ..................................................106 3.2.4.1.1 Zero morphology: Songhay cognates ........106 3.2.4.1.2 Verbal nouns of Tamasheq cognates.........108 3.2.4.2 Actor nominalization ............................... …

Christiansen-Bolli (2010), A Grammar of Tadaksahak, a Northern Songhay Language of Mali, p. 7
108 bǝlǝq to be dusty dustiness In addition some verbs with a causative morpheme take zero morphology as nouns. (97) Causatives with zero-derivation in the verbal noun stem z-ǝzǝl verb to drive verbal noun driving (n) Tamasheq /azǝl/ ‘to run’ ʃ-íḍǝṇ to count counting /ʃiḍǝn/ ‘to count’ s-ǝdwá to make return returning in afternoon /adwu/ ‘to return in afternoon’ s-ǝṛǝṣ to humiliate humiliation /sǝrǝṣ/ ‘to cause to go down’ ʃ-ídu to assemble assembling (n) /ʃidǝw/ ‘to assemble’ …

Christiansen-Bolli (2010), A Grammar of Tadaksahak, a Northern Songhay Language of Mali, p. 126