[tlhIngan Hol] rIntaH and be-verbs

SuStel sustel at trimboli.name
Thu Jan 23 07:41:15 PST 2020


On 1/23/2020 9:46 AM, Lieven L. Litaer wrote:
> Am 23.01.2020 um 15:32 schrieb SuStel:
>
>> *jIQuch rIntaH.
>> */I was happy (but that happiness is over forever)./
>
> Are you sure? How can you deliberately decide to have completed being
> happy?

Maybe you decide to live a happy life. When your life is over, your 
happiness is over, and you accomplished it.

Or maybe you decide to have happiness on the job. When you leave that 
job, that particular happiness is over, and you accomplished it.


> In addition, if possible at all, it would mean that I have turned
> to being happy, and that would last for ever.

That would be *jIQuchchoH rIntaH.* The addition of *choH* changes a 
quality verb into an action verb, and so follows what I said earlier 
about action verbs and *rIntaH.*


> What does {jIQuchta'} mean?
>
> TKD:
> This suffix is similar to {-pu',} but it is used when an activity was
> deliberately undertaken, the implication being that someone set out to
> do something and in fact did it.
>
> [...] instead of using the suffix {-ta',} [...] The resulting
> construction, {rIntaH,} literally means "it continues to be finished" or
> "it remains accomplished," It is used to indicate that the action
> denoted by the preceding verb is a fait accompli: it is done, and it
> cannot be undone.

My happiness is done and cannot be undone. It doesn't mean I am still 
happy or that my happiness is permanent; it just means that the 
happiness I experienced once upon a time cannot be undone.


-- 
SuStel
http://trimboli.name

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