tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Feb 04 06:56:08 2010

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RE: KLBC: tlhIngan qeq

Steven Boozer ([email protected]) 

[email protected] wrote:
>>> Since {quv} 'be honored' doesn't take objects, this should be
>>
>> How do I know which Klingon verbs are (in)transitive? TKD does 
>> not say (as far as I can see).

ter'eS:
>Okrand never really spells it out. Inevitably, we fall back on English
>usages, which are generally close enough, although there have been
>surprises (eg. {Dub}).  I think that every(?) verb with "be" in the
>definition is intransitive.


Falling back on English usage, since {quv} is glossed "be honored" it is conjugated as "I am honored", "you are honored", "he/she/it is honored", "we are honored", etc.  You can't add a direct object and say "I am honored you", "you are honored me", "we are honored them", etc., and so you know that {quv} must be conjugated with the "no object" set of verb prefixes.  

For these qualities (as Okrand calls these class of verbs) to be able to take an object you add the Type 4 suffix {-moH} (cause) and the set of object prefixes.  E.g. {quvmoH} "honor" (i.e. "cause to be honored"):

  {jIquv} "I am honored" vs. {qaquvmoH} "I honor you"

  {bIquv} "you are honored" vs. {choquvmoH} "you honor me"  

  {quv} "he/she is honored" vs. {muquvmoH} "he/she honors me"  

  {maquv} "we are honored" vs. {DIquvmoH} "we honor them"

For the beginner a good rule of thumb is:  If there are separate listings in the TKD and KGT glossaries for {VERB} and {VERBmoH}, the first is intransitive and the second is transitive.  Note that this is not 100% fool-proof and the glossary listings are not meant to be exhaustive, as Okrand himself pointed out on startrek.klingon (11/30/97):

   It is, of course, possible to add the suffix {-moH} to lots of
   verbs; not all of the verb + {-moH} combinations are listed in
   the Dictionary as distinct entries. The ones that are listed are
   there as much as a matter of convenience for the user as anything
   else. [...] The absence of a verb + {-moH} entry in the Dictionary
   lists does not mean that that particular formation cannot be made.

 
-- 
Voragh                          
Canon Master of the Klingons

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