[tlhIngan Hol] Thoughts on {-moH}

SuStel sustel at trimboli.name
Tue Dec 6 10:41:37 PST 2016


On 12/6/2016 1:16 PM, mayqel qunenoS wrote:
>
> there is something I noticed on {-moH}.
>
> If we use it on an intransitive verb it makes it transitive:
>
> jISaQ I cry
> qaSaQmoH I make you cry
>
> But what if we place it on a transitive ?
>
> jIchoH I change
> qachoH I change you
> qachoHmoH I cause you to change
>
> jIyuv I push
> qayuv I push you
> qayuvmoH I cause you to push
>
> I don't know how to describe it in grammar terms, but it seems that as 
> soon as we place the {-moH} on a transitive verb, then the object 
> can't "do what the verb says to someone or something else".
>
> If I write qayuvmoH for I make you push, then I may obviously be 
> saying "I make you push", but how do I say "I make you push the table" ?
>
> raS qayuvmoH ? Is this correct ? can we have the {raS} just sitting 
> there unmarked ?
>

Shame on you for not paying attention!

The current thinking, supported by a couple of canonical sentences, 
seems to be that your desired sentence would be: *SoHvaD raS vIyuvmoH.*

My explanation for this is that one must do more than blindly follow 
syntax; one must examine the semantic role each noun is playing. There 
is an action, *yuv.* Someone pushes the table, *raS yuv.* I cause the 
table to be pushed, *raS vIyuvmoH* (doesn't say who pushes it; I cause 
the action so I'm the subject and it's done to the table so the table is 
the object). I cause you to push it, *SoHvaD raS vIyuvmoH;* you're the 
receiver of what I did (cause the pushing).

We can play this game with other sentences:

*quHDaj qaw */he//remembers his heritage
/*quHDaj qawmoH Ha'quj*/the sash reminds (someone) of his heritage
/*ghaHvaD quHDaj qawmoH Ha'quj*/the sash reminds him of his heritage/

*yIn Hegh je ghoj*/he learns life and death
/*yIn Hegh je vIghojmoH*/I teach life and death (to someone)
/*ghaHvaD yIn Hegh je vIghojmoH*/I teach him life and death/

Guess what! Those are based on canon sentences:

*tuQtaHvIS Hem. ghaHvaD quHDaj qawmoH * /He wears it proudly as a 
reminder of his heritage. /(SkyBox S20)

*petaQvam vIqopbej / QIt ghaHvaD yIn Hegh je vIghojmoH*/I will bring 
this p'takh to justice / And teach him life and death/

Now remember, and this is extremely important: this is perhaps the most 
controversial, war-causing, pain-inducing topic on this list /*EVER.*/ 
Be very careful when talking about it. Think before you post./**/

-- 
SuStel
http://trimboli.name

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