tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Jun 08 16:13:43 1994
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Re: Summer Events
- From: [email protected] (Ken Beesley)
- Subject: Re: Summer Events
- Date: Thu, 9 Jun 1994 10:11:47 --100
>>muneH chaH 'e' Sovta'be' neH "Paramount"<<
>>>[Paramount wants me. They just don't know it yet.]<<
>>"-ta'" is a perfective, indicating that
the action is finished.
>>>And how can you be "finished" knowing something? (Sovta'be')<<<
Without commenting on the merits of this particular translation, I
would just point out that many languages use perfective (vs. imperfective)
aspect with verbs like "know" to mark sudden, complete events.
Portuguese:
Eu sabia a verdade. saber = to know, sabia [past tense, imperfect
aspect] = knew = to be in a state of knowing
"I knew the truth."
vs.
Eu soube a verdade. soube [past tense, perfect aspect] = knew (in
the sense of "realized" or "suddenly and
completely grasped"
The imperfect "sabia" describes a kind of continuing state, a background
of knowing. There is no reference to the beginning or ending of the
knowledge. The use of imperfect aspect in such conditions is typical.
The perfect "soube" describes an event, the "realization." This realization
or event of knowing is perfected or finished, and the use of the perfect
aspect here is also very typical.
Klingon might well use perfective aspect with Sov [know], but it would
probably be with -pu' rather than -ta'. Something like Sovpu'be' or
luSovpu'be' might translate as "they haven't realized it". Ask an
informant.
Ken