| Examples: |
‘ hin-di
|
‘press’
|
|
klug-di
|
immerse’
|
|
nay-di
|
‘see’
|
 m-di |
‘be
secretive’
|
hin-klug-di
|
‘immerse
by pressing’
|
nay-m-di
|
‘see
secretively’
|
|
|
| 3.2.1.
Verb classes |
| 3.2.1.1.
Transitive and causative: |
| The verbs in Kokborok
can be classified into intransitives, transitive and causatives. The
intransitive verbs are primary. The transitive verbs are formed by
adding four transitive prefixes to the intransitive verb. These four
prefixes do not show any semantic distinction between themselves.
So the choice of a particular prefix to make transitive from intransitive
seems to be lexically conditioned. |
| These prefixes are
phV-, mV-, sV- and bV-*. |
| Examples: |
|
(1)
|
phV-
|
nuk
|
‘see’
|
phu-nuk
|
‘show’
|
|
|
|
na
|
‘stick,
|
ph -na
|
‘employ’
|
|
|
|
yk
|
‘be
open’
|
phi-yk
|
‘open’
|
|
|
|
lk
|
‘long’
|
ph-lk
|
‘lengthen,stretch’
|
|
|
|
ru
|
‘know’
|
phu-ru
|
‘teach’-
|
|
|
| --------------
* The morphophonemic variation of these prefixes
is discussed under 2.5.
|
|
(2)
|
mV-
|
thu
|
nu-thu
|
‘put
to ‘sleep’
|
|
|
sup
|
‘blow’
|
mu-sup
|
‘whistle’
|
|
|
th N
|
‘be
alive’
|
|
‘put
life into’
|
|
|
si
|
‘be
wet’
|
mi-si
|
‘make
wet’
|
|
|
|
(3)
|
sV-
|
bay
|
‘be
broken’
|
s
-bay
|
‘break’
|
|
|
|
ru
|
‘know’
|
s-ru
|
‘learn’
|
|
|
|
p
|
‘be
straight’
|
|
‘straighten’
|
|
|
|
(4)
|
bV-
|
thar
|
‘die’
|
b
-thar
|
‘kill’
|
|
|
|
khk
|
‘be
broken’
|
b-khk
|
‘break’
|
|
|
|
thak
|
‘wait’
|
b-thak
|
‘stop
someone’
|
|
|
| The causatives are
formed by adding the verb ru ‘give’ to the intransitive
as well as the transitive verbs. The transitive verbs may be primary
or derived as above. |
| Examples: |
tha-ru-di
|
‘cause
to go’
|
a-ru-di
|
‘cause
to eat’
|
|
phunug-ru-di
|
‘cause
to show’
|
suru-ru-di
|
‘cause
to learn’
|
|
|
| 3.2.1.2.
Stative and active verbs: |
Kokborok verbs can
also be classified into stative and active verbs. These two kinds
of verbs are different in several respects. They behave differently
as to the negative marker. The be verb and the predicative
adjectives in English are stative verbs in Kokborok.
|
