[Tlhingan-hol] {-moH}

lojmIt tI'wI' nuv lojmitti7wi7nuv at gmail.com
Sat Nov 21 21:58:21 PST 2015


I suspect I just misdirected a reply to SuStel concerning his insight into the ditransitive nature of verbs with {-moH}. I've also had further thought on the topic. 

Apparently, according to canon, an unmarked noun before a verb with {-moH} can either be the object of causation (the subject of the root verb -- the one caused to perform the action of the verb) or it can be the direct object of the root verb (the target of the action of the verb). I can teach Worf (the object of causation of learning). I can teach Klingon language (the object of learning). You know that cause-to-learn means Worf is caused to learn and you know Klingon language is learned. 

But if it's okay to be that kind of vague with a verb that makes it clear who is learning and what is being learned, where do we draw the line with a verb and nouns that could function in either role? 

If I cause hitting and Sam and Fred are involved and you don't otherwise know who hit whom, and I say {*Sam* vIqIpmoH}, then is Sam the object of causation, and I caused him to hit Fred, or is Sam the object of the root verb and I caused Fred to hit Sam?

We had a problem like this with relative clauses which we resolved by adding {-'e'} to the head noun if the verb with {-bogh} had both a subject and an object. Is there a way to clarify this stupidly vague mess that verbs with {-moH} have been revealed in canon to be?

Sent from my iPod


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