ABSTRACT
In the present discussion we are most concerned with the syntactic rather than the morphological characteristics of verbs. A verb in a particular Grade will feature transitivity or intransitivity as a characteristic seen in the potential either to operate all three forms A, B and C or only an A form. As a verb changes Grade this may sometimes entail a change in transitivity as well as a modification of sense:
Gr.1. yā zubà ruwā cikin ‘he poured water into the pot’ (C form, short final vowel before noun d.o.)
Gr.4. ruwân yā ‘the water ran away’ (A form), intransitive
In other cases there may be a modification of sense, but retaining the transitivity feature of the primary form:
Gr.1. tā karàntà (C form), ‘she read the book’
Gr.4. tā karàncè(ē) (C form), ‘she read the book right through’
As you have seen, some of the Grades are either transitive (Grade 2) or intransitive (Grades 3 and 7) by their very nature; in other cases (Grade 1 and 4) some of the verbs in the Grade will be transitive and others will be intransitive:
Gr.1. yā intransitive ‘he stopped’ Gr.1. tā jūyà ràndā transitive ‘she turned the pot’ Gr.4. tā intransitive ‘she passed by’ Gr.4. yā bugè transitive ‘he knocked over my bike’
(Occasionally there will be a verb that seems to have two meanings in the Grade, the one transitive the other intransitive, e.g. yā kāmà , ‘he grabbed the horse’, transitive; wutā tā , ‘the fire took hold’, intransitive.)
Transitive:can take a direct object; A, B, C and D forms; Grades 1, 2, 4 and 6.
