Verbal Derivatives
Various derivatives may (recursively) be formed from verbs by means of several suffixes (called "extensions"). Each derived verb is as much an authentic verb as the original.
In the following sections, "polysyllabic" generally means "of more than two syllables."
Verbs are derived primarily through suffixes, some of which are no longer active ("dead").
| Type | Suffix | Valency change |
Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | -a |
|
-qeta | finish |
| Passive | -wa |
|
-qetwa | be finished |
| -uwa | -qetuwa | |||
| Neutro-active | -ahala |
|
-qetahala | finishable |
| Neutro-passive | -eha |
|
-qeteha | finishable |
| Applied | -ela |
|
-qetela | finished for |
| Causative | -isa |
|
-qetisa | cause to finish |
| Intensive | -isisa |
|
-qetisisa | finish intensely |
| Perfective | -ella |
|
-qetella | finish completely |
| Reciprocal | -ana |
|
-qetana | finish each other |
| Associative | -ahana |
|
-qetahana | (be finished together) |
| Reversive | -olla |
|
-qetolla | unfinish |
| Augmentative | -olla |
|
-qetolla | (finish extensively) |
| Extensive | -aka |
|
-qetaka | (finish repeatedly and extensively) |
| Diminutive | (see text) |
|
-qeta-qeta | finish a little |
| Positional (dead) | -ama |
|
(-tsorama) | (squat) |
| Stative extensive (dead) | -ala |
|
(-robala) | (sleep) |
| Contactive (dead) | -ara |
|
(-fupara) | (clench the hand) |
Read more about this topic: Sotho Verbs
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—Northrop Frye (b. 1912)