[tlhIngan Hol] {-'egh} and {-chuq} with {-lu'}

luis.chaparro at web.de luis.chaparro at web.de
Thu Sep 16 02:47:36 PDT 2021


charghwI':

> The use of {-chuq} implies two nouns as Indefinite Subject. It takes at least two to do anything to each other.

> Maybe this is fine, but it feels weird and I don’t think I’ve run into any canon to support it.

> Add that the verb prefixes with {-lu’} always use the singular third person object indicated, while basically reversing the subject/object functions of the prefix, heavily suggesting a singular Indefinite Subject. We can say {vIparHa’lu’}, (somebody likes me), and {wIparHa’lu’} (somebody likes us), but we can’t say *DIparHa’lu’* (multiple somebodies like us). It’s specifically disallowed by the grammar.

Maybe this can be useful. In German, the indefinite subject *man* is always grammatically singular, but depending on context, it can be interpreted as *one indefinite person*, *several indefinite persons* or *people in general*, and although it's singular, it can combine with *each other* (*einander*):

*Man hilft einander* (*One helps each other -> People help each other).

As an aside: Maybe I'm wrong, but I've always thought of the way prefixes work with *-lu'* when there is an object as a funny way to reflect the typical transformations from active to passive, i.e., the object in active become the subject in passive and the subject in active become the agent in passive, so *One has eaten the cakes* (he / she - them) become *The cakes have been eaten by someone* (they - by him / her).

Just a short question: With no object *-lu'* takes always the prefix 0, right?



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