tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Sep 07 20:00:13 1997
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Re: KLBC: Transitive vs. Intransitive
- From: Qov <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: KLBC: Transitive vs. Intransitive
- Date: Sun, 7 Sep 1997 20:00:08 -0700 (PDT)
At 04:42 PM 9/7/97 -0700, Dawut wrote:
>*transitive* *intransitive* je vIyajbe'.
>jIHvaD DaQIj vItlhob.
>
>I would be grateful if you could explain to me the meaning of and
>difference between transitive verbs and intransitive verbs.
vIQIjqangbej.
A transitive verb takes an object, a recipient of the action of the verb.
An intransitive verb does not. Most English verbs and many Klingon verbs
can be both transitive (tr.) and intransitive (int.). Examples: eat, Sop,
see, legh
jISoptaH - I am eating. (int.)
Ha'DIbaH vISoptaH - I am eating meat. (tr.)
jIleghlaH - I can see. (int.)
'un vIleghlaH - I can see the pot. (tr.)
Some verbs cannot take an object. They are always intransitive.
In Klingon {bol} "drool" is only an intransitive verb.
You simply cannot say {*vIychorgh bol ghu} for "The baby drools juice."
In English "disagree" is intransitive. We simply cannot say "*he disagrees
his sister" or "he disagrees the new law."
Why does this matter? Because Marc Okrand didn't tell us which verbs are
transitive, intransitive or both in tlhIngan Hol. For all we know, {Qoch}
*is* transitive, and we can say {?be'nI'Daj Qoch} or {?chut chu' Qoch}.
More importantly, there are verbs that have quite different meanings
depending on whether they are transitive or intransitive. Consider "break."
If "the stick breaks" (int.) it is the *stick* that ends up broken.
If "the stick breaks his head" (tr.) is is the head that suffers.
So in English break mean "become broken" *and* "cause to become broken"?
It's transitive *and* intransitive. We think most Klingon verbs don't work
this way.
For example {vem} means "wake" (int.) and {vemmoH} is wake (tr.}.
I wake at six o' clock -- javvatlh rep jIvem (int.)
I wake my lover -- bangwI' vIvemmoH (tr.)
We know that {ghor} can mean "cause to be broken" because of the proverb
{pIpyuS pach DaSop DaneHchugh pIpyuS puS DaghornIS}. We know from other
canon that {mev} means both "stop (yourself)" (int.) and "stop (something
else)" (tr.). We argue endlessly about the verbs that we *don't* have canon
for.
>I would be honored if my understanding of Federation Standard (English)
>is increased by members of the Klingon speaking community.
latlh Hol DaHaDpa' HollIj Dayajbe'. pISovmoHmo' maquv.
Qov ([email protected])
Beginners' Grammarian