[Tlhingan-hol] Interactions between verb suffixes

[SuStel]

On 12/22/2015 7:40 AM, De'vID wrote:

> We have a canon example of {-choH} with {-laH} on TKW p.177:
> {wa' jaj 'etlh 'uchchoHlaH tlhIngan puqloD; jajvetlh loD nen moj}
> "The son of a Klingon is a man the day he can first hold a blade."
>
> Here, {'uchchoHlaH} is translated as "can first hold", i.e., "begins
> to be able to hold". {-laH} indicates ability. {-choH} indicates a
> change in state. So {'uchchoHlaH} means "he is able to hold (whereas
> he wasn't able to hold before)".
>
> Possibly in another context it can be translated as "is able to begin
> to hold", i.e., "he is able to hold (whereas he wasn't holding
> before)", though I don't see a big difference between the two
> translations. Maybe someone can come up with an example using another
> verb that makes the difference more striking.

Either interpretation works.

Thinking about it a little more, I'm not sure that {-choH} necessarily 
has to apply to any element of the verb in particular. It's not "change 
of action" or "change of subject," it's "change of state of affairs 
before the action."

Before, he isn't able to hold a blade, there was no blade-holding; now 
he is and there is. A change of state has occurred. It's not necessary 
to specify whether {'uch} or {-laH} has changed.

Meanwhile, {-laH} has no explanatory text to help us disambiguate.

-- 
SuStel
http://trimboli.name