[tlhIngan Hol] suffix {-jaj} with imperatives

[Will Martin]

While you speak eloquently about linguistic moods, I completely understand you and agree with you. I said nothing about the force with which one insists on things or with whatever authority. A witch commands a demon to curse someone. She is giving the demon instructions, just like me telling you, “Close the door,” which is imperative. Imperative mood.

If I say, “Curse my landlord!” given that I’m not saying it to anyone, but merely expressing a wish, I could see that as being linguistically different from a witch speaking to a demon, using the same words, definitely imperative. I’d be saying, “May it come to pass that my landlord be cursed!”, while the witch would be saying, “Hey! I’m talking to YOU. I want YOU to go curse my landlord. Cursing is your specialty, and I’m employing you to go do it."

That’s all I meant.

The witch isn't saying, “May this person be cursed,” which is not imperative, and is not addressed to any specific person. I think you say it’s subjunctive, and I’d agree.

It’s remarkable how often you correct me, insisting that I’m saying something different from you when I’m not.

> On Jan 20, 2022, at 8:50 PM, SuStel <sustel at trimboli.name> wrote:
> 
> On 1/20/2022 8:09 PM, Will Martin wrote:
>> Keep in mind that a witch is a fictitious character who lives in a world where communication with demons and spirits is on par with communication with a person, so the witch IS using the imperative because the witch commands the spirits. It’s not just a wish made vaguely toward the future. It’s a command toward a specific spirit.
> 
> No. "Imperative" has a specific grammatical meaning that has nothing to do with the force with which you insist on things or the authority with which you back up your demands. It is a grammatical mood. In English, "imperative" goes along with "indicative," "interrogative," "conditional," and "subjunctive."
> 
> A humble worshiper of a deity saying, "Please, lord, tell me what to do" has just spoken in the imperative mood. A witch telling a demon "You will kill him" while pointing at a trussed-up victim has spoken in the indicative mood. If you tell someone who has just sneezed "Bless you," you have spoken in the subjunctive mood. It has nothing to do with the circumstances in which the words are uttered, who utters them, or anything like that.
> 
> 
> -- 
> SuStel
> http://trimboli.name
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