Content created: 2001-01-06
File last modified:
The endings -tia and -ltia are used to make a verb "causative," usually translatable with English "cause," "enable," or "make," as in "cause [someone] to Vb")
- miqui = to die
- mic.tia = to kill (lit.: make die)
- ti.miqui = you die
- ni.tëch.mic.tia = I kill you
Because they end in two vowels, all causative verbs are type-3.
As with the applicative, the reflexive prefix in combination with a causative ending makes a referential, although very slightly less commonly.
If the verb is already causative, a reverential can be formed by adding the applicative ending with an additional reflexive prefix. (And in fact if the verb is already both causative and applicative, it can be made reverential by adding yet an additional applicative endings and yet another reflexive prefix!)
Challenge A: Describe in your own words the difference between applicative and causative endings, both in their formation, and in their use.
Challenge B: Pick three verbs and show how their causative and applicative meanings contrast with each other.