Deverbal nominalization

There are multiple clear deverbal nominalization processes attested in Sereer. Two of these processes - deverbal agentive nominalization and eventive nominalization - appear to be entirely productive and can apply to any verb, although this is presumably constrained by pragmatics to some extent.

Deverbal agentive nouns

Agent nominalization occurs through a productive reduplication process whereby the body of the first syllable of the verb stem is reduplicated, and the vowel is lengthened if it was not already long.

Verb Gloss	Verb	Noun Gloss	Agent Noun
refuse	fañ	naysayer	opaafañ
gather clams	faañ	clamdigger	opaafaañ
work	jal	worker	ocaajal
read, study	jang	student	ocaajang
steal	guuɗ	thief	okuuguuɗ
cultivate	xoox	farmer	oqooxoox

Agents nominalized in this way will almost always fall into the ox/w class, resulting in standard nominal mutation on the initial consonant of the reduplicant. Alternate forms indicate that the stem is susceptible to overapplication of the consonant mutation process, although this is dispreferred: ? opaapaañ 'clamdigger'.

It is possible to give a reduplicated agent noun an inanimate referent:

ambeel a-refa o-mee-meleƈ

(lake 3RD-COP ox-NOM-sparkle)

‘The lake is a sparkler.’

This construction carries an anthropomorphic sense. Some verbs can undergo this nominalization process with a non-human agent; these nouns are lexically determined. Nonhuman agent nominalizations occur in the n/k noun class, rather than the human ox/w class.

Verb Gloss	Verb	Noun Gloss	Agent Noun	Determiner
fly	yet	flying person insect	oyeeyet yeeyet	oxe ne

Eventive nouns

Any verb may become an instantial or eventive noun with the addition of the prefix a-. The initial consonant of the verb stem undergoes standard nominal mutation if applicable. Additionally, if the final consonant of the verb stem is a voiced implosive, it also undergoes mutation, becoming voiceless. The resulting noun is invariably in the al/ak noun class.

verb	gloss	noun	gloss
ret	go	atet	trip, instance of going
fañ	refuse	apañ	refusal
tos	gather manure	atos	pile of manure
piis	draw a line	apiis	line
gim	sing	akim	song
weʄ	swim	abeƈ	a swim, swimming
deɓ	rain	ateƥ	rain

Resultative nouns

Some verbs become resultative nouns with the addition of either the prefix o-, putting it in the ol/ax noun class, or fa-, putting it in the f/k noun class. The distribution of verbs to these classes is unpredictable.

verb	gloss	noun	gloss
gim	believe	ogim	belief
fen	lie	ofen	lie
ŋas	play	faŋas	game
lay	say	falay	utterance, thing said

Instrumental nouns

Some verbs become instrumental nouns with the application of prenasalized verbal mutation on the initial consonant of the verb stem, if possible. The resulting noun is invariably in the n/k noun class.

verb	gloss	noun	gloss
ruus	shave	nduus	shaving knife
rabid	pay	ndabid	payment
jaw	cook	njaw	process of cooking
cit	give	cit	gift

Nominalization with derivational verbal affixes

It is possible in Sereer to nominalize verbs that already have derivational morphology. These deverbal nominalizations have particular characteristics.

Nominalization of -ir verbs

Verbs with the reciprocal -ir suffix can be nominalized to refer to instrument nouns that help with the execution of the verb (in other words, tools). These nouns are always morphologically and semantically plural in number (initial consonants therefore undergoing standard nominal mutation, and fall into the k noun class.

verb	gloss	noun	gloss
jal	work	calir	tools of a trade
weʄ	swim	beʄir	swimming aids
jaw	cook	cawir	cooking utensils

Nominalization of -el verbs

Verbs with the passive -el suffix can be nominalized to refer to patient nouns of the verb. These nouns are always morphologically and semantically plural in number (initial consonants therefore undergoing standard nominal mutation, and fall into the k noun class.

verb	gloss	noun	gloss
jal	work	calel	tasks
jaw	cook	cawel	cooking ingredients

Nominalization of -oox verbs

Like all other verbs in Sereer, verbs with the reflexive -oox suffix can be nominalized to refer to an instance of the verb taking place (Eventive nouns). When they do so, the -oox suffix changes to -ax.

verb	gloss	noun	gloss
disoox	sneeze	atisax	sneeze
'oqotoox	cough	a'oqotax	cough
wirkiloox	somersault	abirkilax	somersault
soocoox	brush	asoocax	toothbrush

The meaning of asoocax 'toothbrush' is presumably a lexical exception.