tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Dec 15 11:48:57 1994

Back to archive top level

To this year's listing



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

-lu'




With respect to {HeghqangmoHlu'pu'} meaning "it made him willing to 
die", I have trouble with that translation.  Every time I look at it, *I* 
see, "it has been willing to make him die".  

Are ya'll certain that it is the {-lu'} and not the {-moH} which 
transfers the {-qang} to refer to the object instead of the subject?

If the sentence really means, "it made him willing to die," I still would be 
hesitant to use such a construction because I think many people would 
misunderstand me.  The whole idea seems to directly contradict the 
meaning of {-qang} under section 4.2.2., which states, "Suffixes of this 
type express how much choice the SUBJECT has about the action described 
or how predisposed the SUBJECT is to doing it."  (Emphasis added.)  The 
translation provided indicates the volition of the object, not the 
subject.  What mechanism is transferring the meaning of {-qang} to the 
object?  Does this apply to other type 2 suffixes?  Does {jInIDvIpmoHlu'} 
really mean, "They make me afraid to try" instead of "They are afraid to 
make me try?"

Does anyone besides me think that maybe, just maybe, Okrand made a mistake?

yoDtargh



Back to archive top level