The phonology and morphology of Filomeno Mata Totonac

96) /maa-c"uku-ii/ 97) /maa-#tata-ii/
CAUS-cut-TRAN CAUS-sleep-TRAN
[maac"ukí] [maa#tatí]
‘s/he makes him/her cut it’ ‘s/he makes him/her sleep’
98) /maa-puupu-ii/ 99) /maa-qa#-tawaqa-ii/
CAUS-boil-TRAN CAUS-mouth-practice-TRAN
[maapuupí] [maaqa#tawaqé]
‘s/he boils it’ ‘s/he makes him/her study’
However, in one-syllable roots a sole root vowel cannot be deleted, and in these cases, y
epenthesis is found (see §2.6.4.2 for a description of vowel harmony in the transitivizer suffix):
100)/#ku-ii/ 101)/sqo-ii/
burn-TRAN radiate-TRAN
[#kuyúu] [sqoyúu]
‘s/he burns it’ ‘s/he bewitches him/her’
2.6.4.2 Vowel harmony. Vowel harmony is found only in the two verbal suffixes closest to the
root, the transitivizer –ii or –VV and the indefinite object marker –nan or –nVn, and in the
agentive suffix, -na’! or -nV’V in deverbal nouns. Harmony is always in the root-to-affix
direction. It seems that vowel harmony is being lost as a productive process, with certain,
perhaps lexicalized, forms retaining it, and optionality in its use in other forms.
The transitivizer by itself can transitivize a small number of intransitive roots, but usually
comprises the second half of a causativizing circumfix with causative maa-. For all speakers, it
takes the allomorph –ii when attached to multisyllabic verb roots ending in vowels or with root
vowel [i] (see §2.6.4.1 for the vowel coalescence facts).
102)/katsa-ii/ 103) /maa-s"niiq-ii/
feel-TRAN CAUS-wilt-TRAN
[katsíi] [maas"neeqée]
‘she knows’ ‘it makes it wilt’
! '-!