[1466] in tlhIngan-Hol
causitive ambiguity
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)
Mon Aug 30 11:04:41 1993
Reply-To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@village.boston.ma.us>
From: DSTRADER@delphi.com
To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@village.boston.ma.us>
Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1993 10:03:56 -0400 (EDT)
X-Vms-To: IN%"tlhIngan-Hol@village.boston.ma.us"
{rewbe' HeghqangmoH ta'}
What does this mean?
"The emperor is willing to cause the citizen to die," or
"The emperor causes the citizen to be willing to die."
In other words, the emperor is causing the citizen to die,
but -qang indicates willingness. Is it the emperor who is
willing to cause or the citizen who is willing to die???
Type 2 verb suffixes describe the subject's attitude toward
doing something. But in a causitive, both the subject and
object are really doing something. Which one is -qang supposed
to refer to???
The only example of a Klingon verb I could find with suffix
types 2 and 4 is in section 4.2.10 on pg.45 of TKD.
{HeghqangmoHlu'pu'} translated roughly, "it made him/her willing to die,"
or for a more literal, precise translation,
"Something caused him/her to be willing to die." In this case,
the type 2 suffix describes the attitude of the object.
However, I have a nagging doubt about this example:
-lu' indicates an indefinite subject which, being grammatically
insubstantial, cannot have an attitude toward doing anything.
This is equivalent to passive voice, in which the object is the
agent noun, so it can take an attitude toward doing something,
but I'm still unsure about the causitive with a definite subject,
with two agent nouns.
HIQaH-- jImaw'choHlaw'
Guido#1 *
