Transitive and Intransitive Verbs in Varga Language

Transitive verbs are those that request an object, so they get complete sense. For example: to eat, to drink, to make, to do. Intransitive verbs are thos that don't need objects to make sense. For example: to birth, to grow up, to reproduce, to die.

We know that there is no mean in English to distinguish between intransitives and transitives just by looking to the verb itself. In truth, many languages don't have such flags or mechanism.

Recognizing Intransitive and Transitive Verbs

Varga has an intricated mechanism to aid distinguish between verbs and verbs that makes use of vowel harmony. Depending on the harmony or dissonancy between the thematic vowel (the one right before the infinitive ending -da) and its prior one, anyone can distinguish between transitives and intransitives. So let's remember vowel harmony rules:

• a → is a back vowel, so it harmonizes with each one of back vowels (a, o, u);
• o → is a back vowel, so it harmonizes with each one of back vowels (a, o, u);
• e → is a front vowel, so it harmonizes with each one of front vowels (e, i, ö, ü);
• Every another combination is dissonant.

Examples with Intransitives:

• abakeda "to wake up" → stem abake- (a/e dissonant)

Examples with Transitives:

• arbiteda "to judge" → stem arbite- (i/e harmonic)
• abakoda "to wake [someone else]" → stem abako- (a/o harmonic)

However, such mechanism does not apply to verbs with monossylabic stem, such as eda "to eat", ida "to say", soda "to do", böda "to birth". It also does not apply for the vetida "to exist" verb.
Some verbs