tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Nov 21 20:25:16 1997
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lu-
HomDoq wrote:
> charghwI' wrote:
>
> > >I'd be interested to know the difference you see in meaning
> > >between {*jInguvmoH} and {vInguvmoHlu'}. I suggest there IS no
> > >difference in meaning.
> >
> and ghunchu'wI' answered (as well as SuStel in a seperate post):
> > Huh? These seem *very* different to me.
> > {jInguvmoH} "I cause to be painted" or "I paint"
> > {vInguvmoHlu'} "one causes me to be painted" or "I am painted"
>
> I think charghwI's reasoning goes more like
>
> {nguvlu'} something is painted
> {vInguvmoHlu'} I cause something to be painted
>
> obviously this is at least ambiguous but wasn't the one example
> from TKD with {-moHlu'} of a similar kind? I may misremember,
> though.
I know charghwI' knows his {-lu'} better than that, so I'm going to
step away from the 'objectless' question and explain plain old {-lu'}
to anyone who has been confused by all this ranting. What is below
is nothing new, not controversial, just an explanation of {-lu'} the
way it appears in TKD.
When the subject of a verb is known and specific, it and the object,
if any, are represented in the verb prefix, and {-lu'} is not used.
vay' vInguvmoH - I cause something to be painted.
When the subject of a verb is not specified, as in the case of
English sentences using the passive voice or the anonymous they,
Klingon uses {-lu'}, and indicates the object with a special use of
some of the verb prefixes. The prefixes normally used to indicate
various *subjects* with third person singular *objects* {vI- Da- 0
wI- bo- lu-}, are reversed in meaning to indicate various *objects*
all with an "indefinite" subject.
vIleghlu' - "I am seen" "[someone inspecific] sees me"
naDev wIlajlu'Qo' - "They won't accept us here"
vInguvmoHlu' - "I am painted" "[someone] paints me"
If the subject of the active verb is specific, don't use {-lu'}.
For practice, rewrite these sentences so they have the same object,
but an indefinite subject, using {-lu'}. Careful! I've included some
trick ones.
DuparHa' vay'.
nIbejlaw' nuvpu'.
vay' luleghbej.
lIqopta' vay'
chaH HoHnIS vay'
megh neHqu' vay'
'uQ vutlaH vay'
De'wI' tI'lI' vay'
veS tIvbe'law'taH roghvaH
muQopmoH Qu'
Qov [email protected]
Beginners' Grammarian