Learn Dothraki and Valyrian

Learn Dothraki => Dothraki Language Updates => Topic started by: ingsve on February 09, 2011, 11:23:35 pm

Title: Verb conjugation
Post by: ingsve on February 09, 2011, 11:23:35 pm
Here is a quick look at what is known about verb conjugation

conjugationinfinitivetranslationcategories
fichitakeIMP Sing.
samvenosamvenolatsurpassed3rd p. Sing. PST.
samvosamvolatbroke3rd p. Sing. PST.
assamveassamvatbroke3rd p. Sing. PST.
ogeogatslaughtered3rd p. Sing. PST.
ahhasahhasatsharpened3rd p. Sing. PST.
kaffekaffatcrushed3rd p. Sing. PST.
dothraedothralatrides3rd p. Sing. PRES
vichiterashivers3rd p. Sing. PRES
zireyeseezireyeselatoffends3rd p. Sing. PRES
athiroewill survive3rd p. Sing. FUT
ofrakhiwill not touch2nd p. Sing. FUT, NEG

From this we can see that there isn't really a clear pattern connected to person or tense like in a lot of common languages. This possibly means that conjugation will be affected by other grammatical categories. There also seems to be diffrent types of conjugation. In one instance we see the infinitive ending -at change into -e (assamvat->assamve) but in another case the infinitive ending is simply dropped (samvolat->samvo). One diffrence between these verbs is that one is transitive and the other is intransitive and given what we know this seems to be an important distinction that will probably have impact on the grammar.

Another thing is that if the word ofrakhi is correctly translated it seems that taking the negative of a verb is buildt into the conjugation.

Finally, we have also seen the word laz which seems to mean both can and could.
Title: Re: Verb conjugation
Post by: ShadowedSin on February 10, 2011, 03:32:33 pm
Seems modality is playing into conjugation too.
Title: Re: Verb conjugation
Post by: ingsve on February 10, 2011, 04:20:20 pm
Seems modality is playing into conjugation too.

Do you mean the imperative example? Ya, that seems possible at least.
Title: Re: Verb conjugation
Post by: ShadowedSin on February 10, 2011, 09:21:07 pm
I mean laz, can or could tend to fall under grammatical mood or modality.
Title: Re: Verb conjugation
Post by: ingsve on February 10, 2011, 10:07:30 pm
I mean laz, can or could tend to fall under grammatical mood or modality.

Ah ok. Well, in one example we have with laz from the dothraki 101 post it doesn't seem like it changes the verb in any way.

We have:

Me kaffe rek tokikes.
"It crushed that fool."

and then:

Me laz kaffe rek tokikes.
"It could crush that fool."

The verb crushed remains the same = kaffe.
Title: Re: Verb conjugation
Post by: ShadowedSin on February 11, 2011, 01:28:04 pm
So their using secondary particles to create a sense of mood or modality. Meaning the expression of the action is changing. Interesting.

Hmmm is that the subjunctive usage?
Title: Re: Verb conjugation
Post by: Verak on April 29, 2011, 08:32:22 pm

I like that there seem to be negative verb conjugations. Very Japonesque (and *potentially* easier for me to remember (unless there are a million different ones))...

   ::)

Title: Re: Verb conjugation
Post by: ShadowedSin on May 02, 2011, 12:29:05 pm
Secondary inflections for negation seems a bit well cumbersome. They may have a rule where the phoneme of a word changes according to the existence of the negation though.
Title: Re: Verb conjugation
Post by: Hrakkar on May 03, 2011, 06:35:59 pm
This is a very 'linguistic noob' question.
Why are you using the infinitive form of the verbs as a reference?
Title: Re: Verb conjugation
Post by: ingsve on May 03, 2011, 06:59:15 pm
This is a very 'linguistic noob' question.
Why are you using the infinitive form of the verbs as a reference?

Since the various words have appeared in different conjugated forms it makes sense to also add the infinitive form since that is the dictionary form of the verb and when you have the conjugation rules you can go from the infinitive to any of the conjugated forms.

This post is a bit out of date now also. I need to update the wiki with some of the new conjugations that have been revealed.