Content created: 2001-01-06
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The ending -lia (or -lhuia) creates an "applicative" (= "benefactive") verb form. In effect, this means that this ending requires the addition of a secondary (benefactive or other oblique) object. In English, the result is sometimes translatable by "for," as in "to do something for somebody."
Because of the addition of the benefactive object, the result is most easily classified as transitive verb, although the original verb may or may not have been transitive.
If the root ends in a, the a is usually changed to i. Verbs ending in -hua can shift to -huia instead of -hui.lia. Similar "short forms" exist for a few other verbs as well.
Because they all end in two vowels, all applicative forms are type-3 verbs.
Challenge: Aztec children probably had a fine time playing with reverential applicatives by making absurdly long compounds:
ni.c.chihua
ni.c.no.chihuilia
ni.c.nono.chihuiliilia
ni.c.nonono.chihuiliiliilia
Can you do something similar with the verb Ixca?