tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Jun 27 01:03:25 1994

Back to archive top level

To this year's listing

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]

{-Daq} vs. {-vaD}: rehash


I'd like to open a discussion on the topic of "beneficiary," in
the sense of {-Daq} vs. {-vaD}.  I'm sure it's been discussed
before, but if so, it's beyond my memory.  Let me make my case.

{-Daq} refers to a location, as in (from PK):

1. QuvlIjDaq yIch tu'be'lu'jaj
   May your coordinates be free of tribbles.

But never with a language-capable being; for this, we use {-vaD}
(from CK):

2. SoHvaD 'uQ wej vIqem
   I'll bring you dinner number 3.

TKD describes {-vaD} as such: "This suffix indicates that the noun
to which it is attached is in some way the beneficiary of the action."
The example given in TKD is the only canon example I can find which
has this precise use; all others (such as (2) from CK) simply behave 
like {-Daq}, but for language-users.

Now consider this sentence:

3. SoHvaD nuHmey vIngev

What does this mean?  Given the interpretation of (2) above, it could
mean "I sell the weapons to you."  But, and here's my point, you
don't have to receive the object to be the beneficiary of the 
action.  Consider the case where you're being held hostage, and 
your captors want (someone) to sell weapons to their army as ransom.  So,
the selling of the weapons is done for your benefit, but you don't
receive the weapons: "I sell the weapons for you."

This is further complicated by an example in PK, which uses {-Daq}
with the pronoun {SoH}:

4. SoHDaq qeylIS qa' yInjaj
   May the spirit of Kahless live within you!

The question with (4) is, is the meaing "within you" {SoHDaq} the
result of using {-Daq} with the pronoun, or because of the 
verb "live."  I mean, if the sentence were "I live in the Great Hall,"
it would be {vas'a'Daq jIyIn}.  It still means "within."  If it's
the result of the choice of verb, then we have to accept that
{-Daq} may in fact occur with language-users.

I'd be happy to accept the (apparent) distinction between {-vaD} vs.
{-Daq} as suffixes for language-users vs. non-language-users.  But
that example (4) complicates the issue.  I'd appreciate any
insights and feedback on this issue.

--Holtej, the Beginner's Beginning Grammarian

Back to archive top level