Bo-
The prefix bo- is a passivizer that turns verbs into a passive form.
Refgram definition
| More on this in the refgram |
|---|
| Morphology: Passivizer prefixes |
In the refgram, bo- is shown to turn transitive verbs into new transitive verbs:
cho
___ likes ___
bọcho
___ is liked by ___
Bu bọcho jí kúne.
I'm not liked by the dog.
It doesn't say what bo- does for intransitive or ditransitive verbs.
Semi-official definition
However, Hoemaı has since suggested[1] that it might be better for bo- to move the direct object to the front and delete the old subject entirely.
bọcho
___ is/gets liked.
bọdo
___ is/gets given to ___.
This means we can no longer use bộtua and bộtao as agent tags, and so we must use a new word (like ecı).
Shua múao êcı jí.
The tree falls, caused by me.
Syntactically, one way of understanding this behavior is by treating bo- as a 𝑣 head. Just like in the case of unaccusative verbs like ruqshua, bo-𝑣 does not take a specifier (corresponding to the Subject); unlike monotransitive verbs like maı, the “subject” of a bo-X for some ditransitive X is syntactically not a Subject but an Indirect Object (SpecVP). Compare:
Unofficial definition
An unofficial proposal suggests that bo- always makes intransitive verbs, replacing both the old subject and indirect object by sá.
bọcho
___ is/gets liked (by someone).
bọdo
___ is/gets given (to someone by someone).