Although we have noted in section §3.10, above, that /w2/ is normally much more resistant to deletion than /w1/ there are a handful of specific morphological combinations where /w2/ is regularly deleted. For cases involving /w2/ at the beginning of a stem, see the next section (§3.13). In the present section we deal with phenomena affecting pronominal prefixes attached to verbs.
As background we take the maximally abstract internal analysis of pronominal prefixes presented in Chapter 9. That is, in this analysis a pronominal prefix (specifying, say, both subject and object pronominal category for a transitive verb) can be broken down into a number of atomic morphemes tied together by an intricate relational system. If we do not accept this maximally abstract interpretation, and instead consider the pronominal prefixes to be internally unsegmentable, the following cases of Prefixal w2-Deletion would be regarded as at most of historical (not synchronic) interest.
The relevant atomic morphemes are /-w2an-/ /-w2a-/ and /-w2V-/ the latter with variable vowel. The morpheme /-w2an-/ is used chiefly to distinguish the A and B series of pronominal prefixes (Chapter 9), each series being associated with a particular set of verbal categories (tense, aspect, mood, negation; see Chapter 8). Thus 1Sga /nga-/ (e.g., in Present Positive) vs. 1Sgb //nga-w2an-// → /ngan-/ (e.g., in Present Negative). The morpheme /-w2a-/ occurs chiefly as the 1 → 2Sgb transitive prefix /(w)a-/ and arguably in certain other combinations. The morpheme /-w2V-/ is Nonsingular, and occurs in certain 2nd and 3rd person forms.
In the case of /-w2an-/ basis for identifying the initial segment as /w2/ is that surface /b/ appears when this morpheme is preceded by Inverse morpheme /-N-/ as in //nga-N-w2an-w2i-// → /ngambambi-/ '3Pl/WARA→ 1Sgb'. However, the corresponding '3Pl/WARA→ 1Sga- form, lacking /-N-/ is //nga-w2an-w2i-// → /ngambi-/ where the /w2/ of /-w2an-/ has been deleted (with some subsequent readjustments as well). Moreover, when /-w2an-/ occurs in word-initial position (with no preceding morpheme), the /w2/ is usually not pronounced, except by some older persons. Thus compare 3MSga /ni-/ with 3MSgb //w2an-ni-// → /(w)ani-/
The 1 → 2Sgb morpheme is pronounced /wa-/ or /a-/ depending on the speaker. However, the basic form seems to be /wa-/ since when the following morpheme (usually a verb root) begins in /i/ we get surface /wi:/ for all speakers, as in //wa=i-yi:// → /wi:='-yi:/ 'I will give to you'. It is reasonable to argue that speakers who drop the semivowel in the form /(w)a-/ have a deletion rule. The evidence for taking /wa-/ as /w2a-/ rather than /w1a-/ is not very strong in this case; however, 2Sg→ 1ab /numba-/ variant /nimba-/ can perhaps be analysed as containing /-w2a-/ as the final atomic morpheme, with /w2/ appearing on the surface as /b/ There is also a 2Sg morpheme /ba-/ which might also be related, though not by any synchronically productive rules.
The Nonsingular morpheme /-w2V-/ has its surface vowel quality (where relevant) assigned either by morphologically based allomorph rules (Chapter 9), or else (in other combinations) by V-Assimilation P-37. The choice of vowel has no effect on the deletability of the semivowel. The latter is not deleted word-initially, hence it occurs as the initial part of /wuru-/ /wara-/ and /wiri-/ (with various endings). Noninitially, the /w/ is retained, in hardened form /b/ by Hardening P-18, when immediately preceded by a nasal (Inverse /-N-/ or B morpheme /-w2an-/ , as in //nga-N-w2i-// → /ngambi-/ '3Pl/WARA → 1Sga. However, when /-w2V-/ is preceded by a vowel, the semivowel is always deleted with subsequent contraction of the two vowels (the relevant rules being VV-Contraction P-49 and Nonsg-Shortening P-41). Thus //nga-w2a-ra-// → /ngara-/ '1Sg → 3Pl/WARAa', among other exx. It should be noted that the treatment of /w2/ in such forms permits us to avoid homophonies involving Multiple prefix /-w1ara-/ (a derivational prefix inserted between pronominal prefix and stem), hence /ngara-/ (just mentioned) is distinct from /nga-ara-/ (variant /nga:-'ra-/ with 1Sg → ANAØa /nga-/ followed by /-w1ara-/ Similarly, the failure of the present w2-Deletion rule to apply word-initially permits differentiation between /wara-/ '3Pl/WARA → 3Pl/WARAa' (containing /w2V-) and / Ø-ara / (zero 'ANA/MANA → ANA/MANAab' prefix plus Multiple /-w1ara-/ .
Because the three atomic morphemes beginning with /w2/ which we have discussed show deletion of this semivowel in somewhat distinct environments, we formulate the rule in three parts.
| (P-11) | Prefixal w2-Deletion | ||||
| a. | -w2an- → -an- // | | # | | ___ |
| V(:)- | |||||
| for all but a few elderly speakers; here /-w2an-/ is the B morpheme in pronominal prefixes | |||||
| b. | w2a → a- // #__-X | ||||
| where /w2a-/ is 1→ 2Sgb and X does not begin with /i/ it is indeterminate whether the rule applies when X begins with /u/ (because P-5 would restore surface /w/ here); some speakers do not apply P-11b at all | |||||
| c. | w2V- → -V- // V-____ | ||||
| where /-w2V-/ is the Nonsg morpheme with pronominal prefixes; rule applies rigorously for all speakers | |||||