tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed May 25 22:50:13 1994
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News and Announcements
- From: [email protected] (Mark E. Shoulson)
- Subject: News and Announcements
- Date: Thu, 26 May 1994 10:46:48 -0400
- In-Reply-To: Robert Baruch's message of Wed, 25 May 94 12:58:43 EDT <[email protected]>
>From: [email protected] (Robert Baruch)
>Date: Wed, 25 May 94 12:58:43 EDT
>jat <be hairy> Dalo'chugh vaj Qatlh banglI' DaQuchmoH 'e' Datu'
>Did I get the syntax of the then-clause correct?
Erm, I don't think so, but it's a tough concept. See, the trouble is that
in English we say "It's diffeicult to please your love", with an infinitive
(which Klingon doesn't have). OK, so the Klingon would make sense as "you
please your love, that's difficult." That is, make the sentence "you
please your love" the subject of the verb "Qatlh". Unfortunately, we don't
know of a general way to make a sentence a subject. We know how to use
sentences as objects ("'e'", which you *did* use correctly), but not as
subjects.
The best method I've found for situations like this is to use a sort of
impersonal construction, which sounds awfully English, but I think has
cannonical support ("De' lI' Sovlu'DI' chaq Do'Ha'" in the Power Klingon
tape). So I'd make it "banglI' DaQuchmoHDI', Qatlh" ("When you make your
love happy, it's difficult"). Well, in this case, "banglI' DaQuchmoH 'e'
DanIDDI', Qatlh" would be better. I think if you really want to hear a
subject of "Qatlh", think of it as "Qu'" (the task is difficult). Work for
you now?
>--Rob
~mark