A TEMPLATIC APPROACH TO GEMINATION IN THE IMPERFECTIVE STEM OF TASHLHIYT BERBER*

Tashlhiyt Berber uses, among other processes, gemination to form the imperfec-tive. Most accounts of this phenomenon make reference to syllabic or prosodic structure. In this paper, I diverge from this trend, claiming that imperfective gemination is better analyzed as a templatic-based phenomenon resulting from morphological activity at the skeletal tier. I will argue for the use in the imperfec-tive of a fixed-shape template over which consonant gemination is realized. Moreover, I will show that tri-, bi- and monoconsonantal verbs share the same template. The surface irregularity that bi- and monoconsonantal verbs display is viewed as the consequence of the identification of templatic positions. In Tashlhiyt Berber,1 three processes are involved in the formation of the imperfecti ve: (1) a. the gemination of a consonant in the base b. the prefixation of the augment u-c. the insertion of a vowel in the base * I am grateful for suggestions, comments and criticisms from the following people: the editor