2013-06-10

Aspected Verbs: The -taH Verb Suffix

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The Type 7 verb suffix -taH means continuous, and indicates an ongoing action.

For instance,

vIbejI watch it (once)

becomes

vIbejtaHI watch it (continuously)

and

jIghungI am hungry

becomes

jIghungtaHI'm insatiably hungry

Some other examples:-

buDtaHHe's constantly lazy
ghoSuvtaHKeep fighting us!
vIghoStaHI am getting there
vIDechta'mo' lughovHa'taHBecause I disguised her, they are not recognising her
lotlhtaHThey are continuing to rebel
mabavtaHMaintaining orbit.
pebuStaHKeep concentrating!
qay'taHIt continues to be a problem
nungeptaH De'wI'The computer keeps overriding us
qatlh juDoHtaHWhy are you backing away from us?

When used with an imperative prefix, -taH takes the command and turns it into a command for continued action:-

peSuvtaHKeep fighting!
yIluptaHKeep transporting it!
De' yIlabtaHKeep sending the data!/
(keep transmitting information
away from this place

Type 7 Suffix

Because -taH is a Type 7 suffix, the same type as -pu', -ta' and -lI', the other suffixes cannot be used on the same verb where -taH is already present. So a verb plus -taH cannot describe an activity which is heading for a conclusion.

For that, you need another Type 7 suffix: -lI'.

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