tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Apr 30 15:41:09 1995

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Re: KLBC: Comparatives

"Marc Doychlangan" wrote:
>I am as big as you.
>machHa'ghachlIj rap machHa'ghachwIj
>My-un-small-ness equals your-un-small-ness.

Ugh.  As I get more comfortable with "thinking in Klingon" I find I like
{-ghach} less and less.  If I come up with a translation that uses it, I
try to say it differently.  If I come up with a translation that uses it
twice, I try VERY HARD to say it differently.  How about this:

{jIH SoH je wIjuvlu'chugh marap net tu'.}
"If we are measured, one finds that we are the same."

>You are not bigger than me.
>SoH tIn law' jIH tIn puS 'e' temnISlu'
>one-needs_to-deny

This is logically equivalent to "You are smaller than me" and "I am bigger
than you."  What is the reason for picking one interpretation over another?
If you can provide some context, I'd enjoy trying to capture the meaning.

>I am two years older than you.
>cha' DIS jIH qan law' SoH qan puS
>^^^^^^^^ is that sufficient?

I really don't think the law'-puS comparative can be stretched this way.  I
see a simple way to get the idea across in a more "active" form:

{bIboghpa' qaStaHvIS cha' DIS jIyIntaH.}
Before you were born, I was living for two years.

-- ghunchu'wI'

P.S. After I finished writing this note and continued reading my great
     backlog of messages from the list, I found that charghwI' already
     had suggested {wIjuvlu'chugh marap} and yoDtargh had suggested
     {bIboghpa' qaStaHvIS cha' DIS jIbogh}.  I'm both delighted and
     encouraged that my recastings were an "obvious" way to do it.

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