[tlhIngan Hol] muvchuqmoH. seriously ?

[Rhona Fenwick]

ghItlhpu' mayqel, jatlh:

> {vIqIp'eghmoH} for "I caused him to hit himself".

> is it acceptable ?


Absolutely (I believe). I'll try to explain why.


The verb root {qIp} is bivalent. It can take two arguments: a subject and object.

Subject {ghaH}

Object {SoH}

Verb form: {DuqIp} "he hits you"


Adding {-'egh} reduces the verb's valency count by one, disallowing an object.

Subject {ghaH}

Object {SoH} ? none

Verb form: {qIp'egh} "he hits himself"


Adding {-moH} adds a new subject - the causer of the action - which pushes the old subject out of subject position and demotes it to the first available empty category. Since the object was deleted by {-'egh}, there is no object, meaning the object spot is now open to "catch" the old subject.

Causer {jIH} ? new subject

Old subject {ghaH} ? object

Verb form: {vIqIp'eghmoH} "I make him hit himself"

(Not that the brain goes through that process consciously, but it's a fair description of how Klingon causatives work.) Does that make sense?


QeS 'utlh
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