tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Nov 22 22:40:57 1996

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RE: KLBC - transitive

jatlh Ken N.:

>  What is a transitive verb?
>  What is a stative verb?

What, haven't you a dictionary?  :)

A transitive verb is a verb which takes an object.  An intransitive verb is 
one which does not act on an object.  Some verbs (in both English and Klingon) 
may act either transitively or intransitively, depending on what you're 
saying.

Transitive: {qagh vISop}  "I eat gagh."
Intransitive: {jISop}  "I eat."

In English, sentences will sometimes contain prepositions, and in Klingon, 
sentences will sometimes contain nouns with syntactic markers on them.  These 
do not count as objects.

Intransitive: {meHDaq jIjaH} "I go to the bridge."

{meH} is NOT the object of {jaH} in this sentence.

A "stative" verb is one which expresses a "state" or quality.  Okrand 
translates them as "be <something>."  Examples are {Quch}, {nIv}, {tuj}.  
Stative verbs are intransitive.

One can *make* a stative verb transitive in Klingon by using the verb suffix 
{-moH}.

tlhIngan vIQeHmoH.
I cause the Klingon to be angry.

Note that the English translation works very differently than the Klingon.  If 
I said, "I cause to be angry the Klingon," the "cause to be angry" is not very 
grammatical but does represent the Klingon verb {QeHmoH}.  This allows stative 
verbs to play a transitive role.

SuStel
Beginners' Grammarian
Stardate 96895.1

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