Block 14 · pages 118-134
Chapter 3: Personal Pronouns, Possessive Pronouns, and Adpositions
3.2.6 Personal pronouns
Subject clitics are prefixed to the verb (see 3.1.4.1). Independent pronouns behave like NPs and may be followed by demonstratives, discourse morphemes, or postpositions. No gender distinction is made.
Forms: Dependent subject: 1s ay(a)-, 2s ni-/an-, 3s a-, 1p ar(a)-, 2p and-, 3p i-. Independent subject/object: 1s ayay, 2s nin, 3s anga, 1p aari, 2p andi, 3p ingi. Dependent object: 1s ayay, 2s nin, 3s -a / anga, 1p aari, 2p andi, 3p -i / ingi. The 3s dependent object clitic -a attaches to the verb or postposition.
3.2.6.3 Pronouns as postpositional complements
Pronouns combine with all postpositions. 3rd person dependent pronouns cliticize to the postposition, carrying stress (e.g., i-se 'for them').
3.2.6.4 Possessive pronouns
Possessors are marked by the subject clitic series plus the genitive n: aya-n 'my', ni-n 'your (sg)', ay-n 'his/her/its', ar(e)-n 'our', ande-n 'your (pl)', i-n 'their'. The independent possessive ('mine', 'yours') uses the dependent pronoun plus the particle wani/wan-en: ay-wani 'mine', ni-wani 'yours', etc.
3.2.7 Adpositions
Tadaksahak has several postpositions and a few prepositions.
3.2.7.1 Dative se
Marks indirect objects (addressee, beneficiary) and causees with certain causative verbs. 2s.DAT is irregular: ana.
3.2.7.2 Locative and temporal ka
Basic reading 'in', but also directional 'into', 'from', 'on'. Purely topological, insensitive to location vs. direction.
3.2.7.3 Locative be
Means 'on', 'above', and abstractly 'about'.
3.2.7.4 Locative daw
Means 'at somebody's place' (French chez), or 'close to'.
3.2.7.5 Directional kamba
'Towards', also means 'hand, arm'.
3.2.7.6 Genitive n
Links possessor (preceding) and possessed (following). Assimilates to following consonant.
3.2.7.7 Possessive wani/wan-en
Expresses 'character of' or 'material of'. Agrees in number with the head. Also used in pronominal possession (see 3.2.6.4).
3.2.7.8 Preposition anda
'With', 'and', 'in the direction of'. Instrumental, comitative, locative, and conjoining NPs.
3.2.7.9 Preposition wala
'Without', also used as disjunctive 'or' and 'not even'.
3.2.7.10 Preposition inzin
'Like', comparison.
3.2.7.11 Pronominalized elements and the verb
When multiple pronominalized complements follow the verb, a particle n 'pronoun separator' is inserted to prevent vowel coalescence (e.g., a-kkuna aaka n a 'he found it in it'). Pronouns with instrumental-comitative anda show a special syntax: anda is prepositional with a single pronoun, but becomes postpositional when a direct object is also present (e.g., a-b-himay i-(e)nda bangu 'she washes the head with it').
Keywords : personal pronouns independent pronouns possessive pronouns adpositions dative locative genitive comitative pronoun separator
This grammar point in the works
Passages from the site’s works on this topic, with the page cited: the original text is authoritative.
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… 12 3.2.4.3.1 Instrument..................................................114 3.2.5 Compounding .......................................................115 3.2.6 Personal pronouns................................................118 3.2.6.1 Person and number categories.......................118 3.2.6.2 Forms.............................................................119 3.2.6.3 Pronouns as postpositional complements.......119 3.2.6.4 Possessive pronouns ......................... …
Christiansen-Bolli (2010), A Grammar of Tadaksahak, a Northern Songhay Language of Mali, p. 7
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121 Morphology second vowel in the pronoun is dropped, e.g. aɣ₌n aɣáanib ‘my pencil’ or ar₌n iḍúuḷin ‘our in-laws’ (see more examples under 2.4.2.4). 3.2.7 Adpositions Tadaksahak has several postpositions and a few prepositions. The list below presents the translation equivalents and a general indication of the function. (117) Adpositions form se gloss for function dative ka in, on, to, from locative be on, over locative daw at (‘chez’) locative kámba towards locative n of po …
Christiansen-Bolli (2010), A Grammar of Tadaksahak, a Northern Songhay Language of Mali, p. 139
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… wing abbreviations are used in this paper: ADJZ adjectivizer; ALL allative; BEN benefactive, indirect object; COMPZR complementizer, marker of sa-strategy; COM comitative (‘with, and, toward’); DET determiner; DISC discourse marker ‘current centre of attention’; EXCL exclamation; FOC focus marker; FUT future tense; GEN genitive; IMP imperative; IMPF imperfective aspect; INDEF indefinite; LOC spatiotemporal locative; N noun; NEG negative; PASS passive; PERF perfective aspect; …
Christiansen & Levinsohn (2003), Relative Clauses in Tadaksahak, p. 3
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… ctive postposition NP noun phrase REF reflexive CAU causative Q question particle TAM tense/aspect marker S DEF definite PASS passive TMP temporal particle GEN genitive PLDEF plural definite 1/2/3s 1st/2nd/3rd person singular LOC locative postposition REC reciprocal 1/2/3p 1st/2nd/3rd person plural N: noun 2Heath 1999:164.