tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Feb 11 09:56:07 2010

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Re: suffixes -lu'wI'

David Trimboli ([email protected]) [KLI Member] [Hol po'wI']

On 2/11/2010 8:42 AM, André Müller wrote:
> Thanks very much for your answer. You say a verb with {-lu'} has no subject.
> This is partly true. See the following example:
> {wIleghlu'.} = Someone sees us. / We are seen.
> (1PL>3SG-see-PASS) [I'm just calling it a passive, because I can't come up
> with a better term]
>
> The prefix indicates that a first person plural subject is involved. But
> when using an overt subject in such a sentence, it's used in object
> position:
>
> {naDev puqpu' [lu]tu'lu'.} = There are children around here. [the {lu-} is
> optional]
> (here child-PL 3PL>3SG-find-PASS)

Your analysis is incorrect. In {wIleghlu'}, "we" {maH} are the object, 
not the subject. In English passive voice sentences the subject and 
object move around, but there is no equivalent in Klingon. The verb 
prefix {wI-} does not indicate a first-person plural subject when on a 
verb with {-lu'}:

    Since the subject is always the same (that is, it is always
    unstated), the pronomial prefixes (section 4.1.1) are used in a
    different way. Those prefixes which normally indicate first- or
    second-person subject and third-person singular object (vI-, Da-,
    wI-, bo-) are used to indicate first- or second-person object.
    (TKD 4.2.5)

With no subject to a verb with {-lu'}, it's hard to see what the verb 
would nominalize into. What is a "thing which does" if the verb says 
there is no specific thing which does?

-- 
SuStel
http://www.trimboli.name/

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