tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Nov 07 08:21:21 2006

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Re: transitivity

Steven Boozer ([email protected])



be''etlh:
>Is there canon evidence that Suv can be used to say one person fights
>another, or would you have to say they fight each other?
>
>   Lisa Suv Dan
>   Suvchuq Lisa Dan je

Actually, these are both transitive.  "Each other" is the object of the 
verb.  Only transitive verbs can take the Class 1 suffixes {-'egh} 
"oneself" and {-chuq} "each other, one another".  (You can't say, as far as 
we know, *{jIQong'egh} "I sleep myself" or *{maQongchuq} "we sleep each 
other".)

As for {Suv}, I found two examples where it takes an object:

   reH DIvI' Duj vISuv vIneH
   I've always wanted to engage a Federation ship. ST5

   loghDaq lupDujHom qoDDaq bIlengtaHvIS, nIbuQbogh novpu' DaSuv
   Battle menacing aliens in a shuttlecraft journey through space. STX

and one where a plural subject is used:

   Suv cha' qabDu'
   Two faces fight (i.e. "They are fighting one-on-one") KGT

So both of be''etlh's examples are correct.  BTW {ghob} "do battle, wage 
war" can also take the reciprocal suffix and is therefore transitive:

   ghobchuq loDnI'pu'
   "The Brothers Battle One Another" (KCD)



--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons






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