tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Sep 24 08:34:48 1997

Back to archive top level

To this year's listing



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

Re: KLBC: -ghach



At 18:32 97-09-23 -0700, Qermaq wrote:
}I don't like -ghach. I never use -ghach. I don't really feel confident
}anyone knows how it is correctly used. In TKD we see the only canonical
}use of -ghach I've seen.
}
}lo' = make use of (v)/use (n)  
}lo'laH = be valuable (v)/ lo'laHghach = value (n)
}lo'laHbe' - be worthless (v)/lo'laHbe'ghach = worthlessness (n)
}
}naD = commend (v)/commendation (n)
}naDHa' = discommend (v)/naDHa'ghach = discommendation (n)
}naDqa' = re-commend (v)/naDqa'ghach = re-commendation
}
}In most of these (perhaps all - it may escape my evaluation) the
}resulting *-ghach* noun bears the same relationship to the suffixed verb as the
}homonous noun and verb. Is it safe to assume that this is a trend that is
}'regular'?

That's right.  {-ghach) turns a verb into a noun, in much the same ay as
"-ness" and "-tion" do in English.  It does not mess with the meaning.  Your
examples are very good.

}exs. Qob = be dangerous (v)/danger (n)
}QobHa' = be safe / QobHa'ghach = safety (n)??
}
}DuH = be possible (v)/possibility (n)
}DuHqa' = be again possible (v) / DuHqa'ghach = renewed possibility (n)
}
}If it's accepted, this helps in one odd problem - there is no noun *bIr*
}to
}match to the verb/noun combo tuj. But we could use tujHa'ghach...

Maybe coldness.  Maybe "lack of heat."  Remember that {-Ha'} does indicate a
change of state, or something undone or done wrongly.

}*nep*, too, is a verb-only word - but the noun "falsehood" could be
}vIpHa'ghach...

{vItHa'ghach} - untruthfulness

}How about chav = achieve (v)/achievement (n)
}chavlaH = be able to achieve(v)/chavlaHghach = potential (n)???

Definitely.  That one is a a very good example of how ghach can be used.
You can build some pathological nouns this way.

{QIHchuqqangqu'qa'ghachHeychaj vItu'DI' vIchev.}
I separated them when I noticed their apparent extreme willingness to go
back to damaging each other. You could of course say, {QIHchuqqangqa'law'mo'
chaH vIchev} for almost the same meaning.  And generally a verb is better
than a noun.  That's why I called my noun pathological.

}I still don't like -ghach - but in time, I may learn to live it.

Don't like it.  Use it only when you need a noun that expresses the state or
the condition described by some suffixed verb. 

Qov     [email protected]
Beginners' Grammarian                 



Back to archive top level