Gulmancema
Verbs table
| gloss | layer | stem phonology | aor | impfv | pfv |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| accompany | lexeme | not i-final | cian | cangi | cian |
| accompany | stem | not i-final | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 |
| accompany | suffix | not i-final | i | gi | i |
| accompany | tone | not i-final | HH | HH | HL |
| advance | lexeme | i-final | suagi | suagdi | suagi |
| advance | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| advance | suffix | i-final | i | di | i |
| advance | tone | i-final | LL | LH | LL |
| arise early | lexeme | not i-final | fa | fa | fa |
| arise early | stem | not i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| arise early | suffix | not i-final | Ø | Ø | Ø |
| arise early | tone | not i-final | HH | HL | HL |
| attach | lexeme | not i-final | loli | luo | loli |
| attach | stem | not i-final | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 |
| attach | suffix | not i-final | li | Ø | li |
| attach | tone | not i-final | LL | L₂L | L₂L |
| become light | lexeme | i-final | faani | faandi | faani |
| become light | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| become light | suffix | i-final | i | di | i |
| become light | tone | i-final | LL | L₂H | LH |
| bite | lexeme | not i-final | nidi | ni | nidi |
| bite | stem | not i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| bite | suffix | not i-final | di | Ø | di |
| bite | tone | not i-final | LL | L₂L | L₂L |
| blow one's nose | lexeme | i-final | fiani | fani | fiani |
| blow one's nose | stem | i-final | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 |
| blow one's nose | suffix | i-final | i | i | i |
| blow one's nose | tone | i-final | LL | LH | LH |
| braid | lexeme | i-final | piani | pangi | piani |
| braid | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| braid | suffix | i-final | i | gi | i |
| braid | tone | i-final | HL | HH | HL |
| breathe | lexeme | not i-final | fuo | fo | fuo |
| breathe | stem | not i-final | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 |
| breathe | suffix | not i-final | Ø | Ø | Ø |
| breathe | tone | not i-final | L₂L | L₂L | LL |
| build | lexeme | not i-final | ma | ma | ma |
| build | stem | not i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| build | suffix | not i-final | Ø | Ø | Ø |
| build | tone | not i-final | L₂L | L₂L | LH |
| buy | lexeme | not i-final | da | da | da |
| buy | stem | not i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| buy | suffix | not i-final | Ø | Ø | Ø |
| buy | tone | not i-final | LL | L₂L | LH |
| caresse | lexeme | i-final | baali | baaldi | baali |
| caresse | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| caresse | suffix | i-final | i | di | i |
| caresse | tone | i-final | L₂H | L₂H | L₂H |
| catch1 | lexeme | i-final | gabi | gabni | gabi |
| catch1 | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| catch1 | suffix | i-final | i | ni | i |
| catch1 | tone | i-final | HL | HH | HH |
| catch2 | lexeme | not i-final | cuo | co | cuo |
| catch2 | stem | not i-final | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 |
| catch2 | suffix | not i-final | Ø | Ø | Ø |
| catch2 | tone | not i-final | HL | L₂L | HL |
| converse | lexeme | not i-final | boe | boe | boeni |
| converse | stem | not i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| converse | suffix | not i-final | Ø | Ø | ni |
| converse | tone | not i-final | L₂L | L₂L | LL |
| cross | lexeme | not i-final | do | do | doni |
| cross | stem | not i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| cross | suffix | not i-final | Ø | Ø | ni |
| cross | tone | not i-final | LL | L₂L | LL |
| cut1 | lexeme | not i-final | cie | cenli | cie |
| cut1 | stem | not i-final | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 |
| cut1 | suffix | not i-final | Ø | li | Ø |
| cut1 | tone | not i-final | HH | HH | HL |
| cut2 | lexeme | not i-final | jia | ja | jia |
| cut2 | stem | not i-final | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 |
| cut2 | suffix | not i-final | Ø | Ø | Ø |
| cut2 | tone | not i-final | LL | L₂L | L₂L |
| descend | lexeme | not i-final | jiidi | ji | jiidi |
| descend | stem | not i-final | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 |
| descend | suffix | not i-final | di | Ø | di |
| descend | tone | not i-final | HH | HL | HL |
| do | lexeme | not i-final | tieni | tie | tieni |
| do | stem | not i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| do | suffix | not i-final | ni | Ø | ni |
| do | tone | not i-final | HH | L₂L | HL |
| drum | lexeme | not i-final | ja | jaagi | ja |
| drum | stem | not i-final | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 |
| drum | suffix | not i-final | Ø | gi | Ø |
| drum | tone | not i-final | LL | L₂H | LL |
| eat | lexeme | not i-final | je | di | dini |
| eat | stem | not i-final | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 2 |
| eat | suffix | not i-final | Ø | Ø | ni |
| eat | tone | not i-final | LL | L₂L | LH |
| eat one's fill | lexeme | not i-final | guo | guodi | guo |
| eat one's fill | stem | not i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| eat one's fill | suffix | not i-final | Ø | di | Ø |
| eat one's fill | tone | not i-final | HL | HH | HH |
| empty | lexeme | i-final | baadi | baadi | baadi |
| empty | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| empty | suffix | i-final | i | i | i |
| empty | tone | i-final | HH | HH | HL |
| fall | lexeme | not i-final | ba | baali | ba |
| fall | stem | not i-final | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 |
| fall | suffix | not i-final | Ø | li | Ø |
| fall | tone | not i-final | LL | LH | LH |
| fall to pieces | lexeme | i-final | wudi | wudi | wudi |
| fall to pieces | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| fall to pieces | suffix | i-final | i | i | i |
| fall to pieces | tone | i-final | LL | L₂L | L₂L |
| feel | lexeme | i-final | nubi | nubdi | nubi |
| feel | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| feel | suffix | i-final | i | di | i |
| feel | tone | i-final | HL | HH | HH |
| figure out a riddle | lexeme | i-final | bundi | bundi | bundi |
| figure out a riddle | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| figure out a riddle | suffix | i-final | i | i | i |
| figure out a riddle | tone | i-final | L₂H | L₂H | L₂L |
| follow | lexeme | not i-final | ŋoadi | ŋua | ŋoadi |
| follow | stem | not i-final | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 |
| follow | suffix | not i-final | di | Ø | di |
| follow | tone | not i-final | LL | LL | L₂L |
| give | lexeme | i-final | teni | tendi | teni |
| give | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| give | suffix | i-final | i | di | i |
| give | tone | i-final | LL | L₂H | L₂L |
| give birth | lexeme | not i-final | ma | ma | mali |
| give birth | stem | not i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| give birth | suffix | not i-final | Ø | Ø | li |
| give birth | tone | not i-final | L₂L | L₂L | LL |
| go to bed | lexeme | not i-final | duadi | dua | duadi |
| go to bed | stem | not i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| go to bed | suffix | not i-final | di | Ø | di |
| go to bed | tone | not i-final | HH | L₂L | HL |
| grill | lexeme | i-final | puli | puli | puli |
| grill | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| grill | suffix | i-final | i | i | i |
| grill | tone | i-final | HH | HL | HH |
| grind | lexeme | not i-final | naani | na | nani |
| grind | stem | not i-final | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 2 |
| grind | suffix | not i-final | ni | Ø | ni |
| grind | tone | not i-final | L₂L | LL | LL |
| groan | lexeme | i-final | duni | duni | duni |
| groan | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| groan | suffix | i-final | i | i | i |
| groan | tone | i-final | L₂L | L₂L | L₂L |
| grow old | lexeme | i-final | kpelgi | kpelgdi | kpelgi |
| grow old | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| grow old | suffix | i-final | i | di | i |
| grow old | tone | i-final | HH | HH | HH |
| hang | lexeme | i-final | joani | joangi | joani |
| hang | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| hang | suffix | i-final | i | gi | i |
| hang | tone | i-final | HH | HH | HL |
| harmonize | lexeme | i-final | dagni | dagndi | dagni |
| harmonize | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| harmonize | suffix | i-final | i | di | i |
| harmonize | tone | i-final | L₂H | L₂H | L₂L |
| hold with lips | lexeme | i-final | babi | babni | babi |
| hold with lips | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| hold with lips | suffix | i-final | i | ni | i |
| hold with lips | tone | i-final | LL | L₂H | LH |
| hunt | lexeme | i-final | deli | deli | deli |
| hunt | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| hunt | suffix | i-final | i | i | i |
| hunt | tone | i-final | L₂L | L₂L | LL |
| knot | lexeme | i-final | gbini | gbingi | gbini |
| knot | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| knot | suffix | i-final | i | gi | i |
| knot | tone | i-final | LL | L₂H | LL |
| land on two feet | lexeme | not i-final | ci | ciini | ci |
| land on two feet | stem | not i-final | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 |
| land on two feet | suffix | not i-final | Ø | ni | Ø |
| land on two feet | tone | not i-final | LL | L₂H | LL |
| learn | lexeme | i-final | bangi | bangdi | bangi |
| learn | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| learn | suffix | i-final | i | di | i |
| learn | tone | i-final | HL | HH | HL |
| leave | lexeme | i-final | gedi | ca | gedi |
| leave | stem | i-final | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 |
| leave | suffix | i-final | i | Ø | i |
| leave | tone | i-final | HH | HH | HL |
| lick | lexeme | not i-final | lia | liagi | lia |
| lick | stem | not i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| lick | suffix | not i-final | Ø | gi | Ø |
| lick | tone | not i-final | HL | HH | HH |
| listen | lexeme | not i-final | gbadi | gba | gbadi |
| listen | stem | not i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| listen | suffix | not i-final | di | Ø | di |
| listen | tone | not i-final | LL | LL | L₂L |
| look at | lexeme | not i-final | noanli | nua | noanli |
| look at | stem | not i-final | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 |
| look at | suffix | not i-final | li | Ø | li |
| look at | tone | not i-final | LL | L₂L | LH |
| love | lexeme | not i-final | bua | bua | buadi |
| love | stem | not i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| love | suffix | not i-final | Ø | Ø | di |
| love | tone | not i-final | L₂L | LL | L₂L |
| overtake | lexeme | not i-final | cie | ciedi | cie |
| overtake | stem | not i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| overtake | suffix | not i-final | Ø | di | Ø |
| overtake | tone | not i-final | HH | HH | HL |
| pick grapes | lexeme | i-final | luobi | luobdi | luobi |
| pick grapes | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| pick grapes | suffix | i-final | i | di | i |
| pick grapes | tone | i-final | L₂L | L₂H | L₂H |
| plant | lexeme | not i-final | buli | bu | buli |
| plant | stem | not i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| plant | suffix | not i-final | li | Ø | li |
| plant | tone | not i-final | LL | L₂L | LH |
| prepare | lexeme | i-final | baani | baandi | baani |
| prepare | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| prepare | suffix | i-final | i | di | i |
| prepare | tone | i-final | HH | HH | HL |
| pull | lexeme | not i-final | dadi | dia | dadi |
| pull | stem | not i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| pull | suffix | not i-final | di | Ø | di |
| pull | tone | not i-final | HH | L₂L | HL |
| question | lexeme | i-final | bagi | bagi | bagi |
| question | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| question | suffix | i-final | i | i | i |
| question | tone | i-final | HL | HL | HH |
| read | lexeme | i-final | cogi | cogi | cogi |
| read | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| read | suffix | i-final | i | i | i |
| read | tone | i-final | HL | HH | HL |
| receive | lexeme | not i-final | ga | gaani | ga |
| receive | stem | not i-final | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 |
| receive | suffix | not i-final | Ø | ni | Ø |
| receive | tone | not i-final | HH | HH | HL |
| rinse mouth | lexeme | i-final | cugi | cugi | cugi |
| rinse mouth | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| rinse mouth | suffix | i-final | i | i | i |
| rinse mouth | tone | i-final | LL | L₂L | LL |
| ripen | lexeme | not i-final | be | be | beni |
| ripen | stem | not i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| ripen | suffix | not i-final | Ø | Ø | ni |
| ripen | tone | not i-final | LL | L₂L | LH |
| roll | lexeme | i-final | bilni | bilni | bilni |
| roll | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| roll | suffix | i-final | i | i | i |
| roll | tone | i-final | L₂L | L₂H | L₂L |
| rumble | lexeme | not i-final | funi | fu | funi |
| rumble | stem | not i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| rumble | suffix | not i-final | ni | Ø | ni |
| rumble | tone | not i-final | HL | HL | HH |
| see | lexeme | not i-final | la | laadi | la |
| see | stem | not i-final | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 |
| see | suffix | not i-final | Ø | di | Ø |
| see | tone | not i-final | HH | HH | HL |
| set off on route | lexeme | i-final | bobi | bobi | bobi |
| set off on route | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| set off on route | suffix | i-final | i | i | i |
| set off on route | tone | i-final | LL | L₂L | LH |
| shame o.s. | lexeme | i-final | fiagi | fiagdi | fiagi |
| shame o.s. | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| shame o.s. | suffix | i-final | i | di | i |
| shame o.s. | tone | i-final | L₂L | L₂H | L₂L |
| sit | lexeme | not i-final | kali | ka | kali |
| sit | stem | not i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| sit | suffix | not i-final | li | Ø | li |
| sit | tone | not i-final | LL | LL | L₂L |
| sleep | lexeme | not i-final | guani | goa | guani |
| sleep | stem | not i-final | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 |
| sleep | suffix | not i-final | ni | Ø | ni |
| sleep | tone | not i-final | L₂H | LL | L₂H |
| sleep with | lexeme | not i-final | dua | dua | dua |
| sleep with | stem | not i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| sleep with | suffix | not i-final | Ø | Ø | Ø |
| sleep with | tone | not i-final | LL | L₂L | LL |
| sting1 | lexeme | i-final | juni | jungi | juni |
| sting1 | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| sting1 | suffix | i-final | i | gi | i |
| sting1 | tone | i-final | LL | L₂H | LH |
| sting2 | lexeme | not i-final | mu | muudi | mu |
| sting2 | stem | not i-final | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 |
| sting2 | suffix | not i-final | Ø | di | Ø |
| sting2 | tone | not i-final | LL | L₂H | LL |
| strike | lexeme | not i-final | pua | pua | pua |
| strike | stem | not i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| strike | suffix | not i-final | Ø | Ø | Ø |
| strike | tone | not i-final | HH | HL | HH |
| suck | lexeme | not i-final | mua | mua | mua |
| suck | stem | not i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| suck | suffix | not i-final | Ø | Ø | Ø |
| suck | tone | not i-final | HL | HL | HH |
| take a shower | lexeme | not i-final | wali | wu | wali |
| take a shower | stem | not i-final | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 |
| take a shower | suffix | not i-final | li | Ø | li |
| take a shower | tone | not i-final | L₂L | L₂L | LL |
| take by force | lexeme | not i-final | fie | fenli | fie |
| take by force | stem | not i-final | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 |
| take by force | suffix | not i-final | Ø | li | Ø |
| take by force | tone | not i-final | LL | L₂H | L₂L |
| tap on the head | lexeme | not i-final | tua | tuani | tua |
| tap on the head | stem | not i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| tap on the head | suffix | not i-final | Ø | ni | Ø |
| tap on the head | tone | not i-final | LL | L₂H | LL |
| terrace | lexeme | i-final | guli | guldi | guli |
| terrace | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| terrace | suffix | i-final | i | di | i |
| terrace | tone | i-final | L₂L | L₂H | LL |
| turn head | lexeme | i-final | gbagi | gbagdi | gbagi |
| turn head | stem | i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| turn head | suffix | i-final | i | di | i |
| turn head | tone | i-final | LL | L₂H | LL |
| turn over | lexeme | not i-final | goa | goa | goani |
| turn over | stem | not i-final | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| turn over | suffix | not i-final | Ø | Ø | ni |
| turn over | tone | not i-final | HH | HL | HH |
| wait | lexeme | not i-final | guudi | gu | guudi |
| wait | stem | not i-final | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 |
| wait | suffix | not i-final | di | Ø | di |
| wait | tone | not i-final | HH | HH | HL |
| wash face | lexeme | not i-final | fa | faani | fa |
| wash face | stem | not i-final | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 |
| wash face | suffix | not i-final | Ø | ni | Ø |
| wash face | tone | not i-final | HL | HH | HH |
| win | lexeme | not i-final | ba | baadi | ba |
| win | stem | not i-final | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 |
| win | suffix | not i-final | Ø | di | Ø |
| win | tone | not i-final | LL | L₂H | L₂L |
| write | lexeme | i-final | diani | dangi | diani |
| write | stem | i-final | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 |
| write | suffix | i-final | i | gi | i |
| write | tone | i-final | HL | HH | HH |
Gulmancema notes
General information
The information in the database is based on Naba (1994), but it is instructive to compare this to Ouoba's (1982) account, as is done below.
The basis of the Gulmancema verb system are three forms whose morphosyntax Naba (1994: 304-8) analyses as the intersection of mood and aspect. These values map as follows onto the labels given to the actual forms:
| mood | |||
| realis | potential | ||
| aspect | imperfective | IMPERFECTIVE | AORIST |
| perfective | PERFECTIVE | ||
The distinction between these three forms is expressed by a combination of suffixation, tonal alternations and stem alternations. In none of the subsystems is there a consistent mapping between the morphological forms and the morphosyntactic values. Syncretism within each subsystem is widesperad: the only one to make a three-way distinction is tone, though even here the typical case is to have only two tonal contrasts. All the subsystems fall into multiple inflection classes. A particular striking feature is the distribution of the suffixes, which display near-polarity, in that the morphological opposition of suffix ~ Ø realizes both imperfective vs. perfective and perfective vs. imperfective.
Suffixes
In Naba's analysis the suffixes all have the form -i or -Ci, where C = d, g, l or n. The value of C is fixed for a given lexeme. Generalizing over C, the distribution of the suffixes in his material is:
| aorist | imperfective | perfective | ||
| a. | Ci | Ø | Ci | C ≠ g |
| b. | Ø | Ø | Ci | C ≠ g |
| c. | Ø | Ci | Ø | |
| d. | i | Ci | i | C ≠ l |
| e. | i | Ø | i | |
| f. | i | i | i | |
| g. | Ø | Ø | Ø |
Ouoba (1982) however treats -i as part of the stem. There is in fact some morphophonological justification for treating -i and -Ci differently, since final -i deletes when followed by an object, whereas with suffixes of the form -Ci, the final vowel does not delete:
| perfective | ||
| ò gbiénì | ‘he filled | |
| ò gbiên lí bóblī | ‘he filled the casserole’ | |
| imperfective | ||
| ò gbíen-dí | ‘he fills’ | |
| ò gbíen-dí lí bóblī | ‘he fills the casserole’ | |
If we follow Ouoba (1982) and treat -i as a stem-final consonant, and assume that deletion also occurs before verbal suffixes, then we can conflate -i and Ø in the table above. The one pattern from Naba's material where the alternation between -i and Ø cannot be attributed to a suffix (type 'e') involves a suppletive stem (pfv gédì, impfv cá 'leave'), so the apparent suffixal alternation can be subsumed under the suppletive alternation. Conflating -i and Ø allows us to present a simpler picture:
| aorist | imperfective | perfective | ||
| a. | Ci | Ø | Ci | C ≠ g |
| b. | Ø | Ø | Ci | C ≠ g |
| c. | Ø | Ci | Ø | |
| d. | Ø | Ø | Ø |
The following generalizations emerge:
- -gi is exclusively imperfective
- the aorist suffix is always the same as one of the other two (typically the perfective; see frequency information below)
Ouoba (1982: 197f) gives type frequency information for imperfective/perfective pairings. In terms of the classification above, it translates to:
| aorist | imperfective | perfective | ||
| a./b | Ci/Ø | Ø | Ci | c. 20% |
| c. | Ø | Ci | Ø | c. 50% |
| d. | Ø | Ci | Ø | c. 25-30% |
Tone
There are two surface tones, high (H) and low (H); Naba teats these as the manifestation of three underlying tones, the third of which, L₂, is a low tone that assimilates to a preceding H tone, while underlying L does not. The tone patterns are quite complex, and are represented in the database. There are not too many generalizations one can make about the tone patterns. Some are predicatable from suffixation:
- The suffix -Ci in the imperfective always bears H tone.
- If both aorist and perfective have -Ci suffixes, they differ in tone.
- In nearly every case, the tone alternations involves the second component alone (i.e. the second syllable, or second component of a contour tone in monosyllabic forms). The only instances of a tone alternation in the first component involve the covert underlying tone L₂ as one member. This suggests that the first tone is lexical, the second inflectional.
If we factor these observations in, and assume that (i) we can ignore the initial tone component as being part of the stem, and (ii) suffixes in the imperfective always bear H tone, we still observe every possible pattern of H and L, except for the one in which all three forms bear H tone; this does occur, but only where the H tone of the imperfective could also be attributed to the suffix:
| aorist | imperfective | perfective |
| (H | H* | H) |
| H | H | L |
| H | L | H |
| H | L | L |
| L | H | H |
| L | H | L |
| L | L | H |
| L | L | L |
| *only with -Ci suffix | ||
Stem alternations
These affect a small number of verbs, though exactly how small is unclear. In practically every instance alternation involves a distinction between imperfective and perfective/aorist. Stem alternation involves lengthening or quality of the stem vowel; the latter may involve a stem-final -n as well. Lengthening and the addition of stem-final only occur under suffixation, while a quality alternation (without -n) may occur on its own. The range of patterns is shown below (following Naba's convention, forms whose stem bears L₂ tone are written without indication of tone):
| aorist | imperfective | perfective | ||
| length | gá | gaá-nì | gâ | ‘receive’ |
| length | ŋuu-di | ŋû | ŋuú-dì | ‘wash’ |
| quality (plus -n) | noàn-lì | nua | noàn-lí | ‘look’ |
| quality (plus -n) | fiè | fen-lí | fie | ‘sieze’ |
| quality | guâ-nì | goâ | guá-ní | ‘return’ |
| quality | kuá | koa | kuâ | ‘break’ |
Starting from an unsuffixed form, it is not generally possible to predict whether or not there will be a stem alternation under suffixation; a particularly striking example of this is naa-nì aor ~ nà impfv ~ nà-nì pfv 'grind'. There is some predictability in the reverse direction, since a stem shape CV₁V₁ only occurs under suffixation, so shortening is automatic in unsuffixed forms based on the same stem. Note in addition there are a few suppletive items, which generally follow the same imperfective ~ aorist/perfective pattern.
Thus, while the presence or absence of a stem alternation is often unpredictable, given the knowledge that there is a stem alternation, the pattern is largely predictable.
Summary
Combining the unreduced suffix and tone classes (taken from Naba's account) with information on stem alternation patterns yields c. 80 classes. As suggested above, these could probably be reduced on a more abstract approach. None of the morphological components consistently distinguishes all three basic verb forms, but combining suffixation and tone reduces syncretism at the whole word level -- though it is hardly infrequent, i.e. there does not seem to be any governing tendency to disambiguate segmental syncretism through tonal alternations, or vice versa.
References
Naba, Jean-Claude. 1994. Le Gulmancema: Essai de systèmatisation. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe.
Ouoba, Bendi Benoît. 1982. Description systèmatique du gulmancema. PhD Thesis, Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO), Univ. de la Sorbonne Nouvelle.