[tlhIngan Hol] vIb - propagate

[Hugh Son puqloD]

> On Mar 29, 2020, at 04:36, Lieven L. Litaer <levinius at gmx.de> wrote:
> 
> Again, I need to add that I am asking this because I do not entirely
> understand the English word.  But Maybe this is one of the things that
> need some explanation from Maltz.

I can’t say with certainty what the Klingon word means, but as for the English one, it has several meanings, and it can be used intransitively or transitively. The relationship between the intransitive and transitive versions, when both exist for a particular sense, is somewhat like the relationship between a Klingon intransitive verb and that same verb with the suffix {-moH}. e.g.:

The idea propagated quickly through the community.
She propagated the idea through the community.

So I imagine {vIb} to be naturally intransitive in Klingon. It’s entirely possible that {vIb} can take a medium as a direct object, a relationship which is expressed with a preposition in English. As De'vID pointed out, there’s no preposition in the English gloss for {vIb}, which could be a hint that it doesn’t take a medium as a direct object, but the only way to know for sure is explicit info from Maltz or a canon example of it being used with a medium as either a location or a direct object.

I also now wonder whether {vIb} can be used for science fiction style time travel to the future. I’m thinking it can’t, if the meaning is to propagate through time, but I’m not sure how to express this concept. {vIbqu'} doesn’t really seem right.