tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Feb 24 11:20:50 1995

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Re: KLBC: Question about -bogh



> > This chocolate is for the officer whom he hit.
> > ? yaSvaD qIppu'bogh 'oH yuchvam'e'
> 
> Ignore the relative clause altogether:
> 
> * yaSvaD 'oH yuchvam'e'.
> 
> This is not a valid sentence. You are going from the English,
> "This chocolate is for the officer," and you are not
> considering the limits of the <noun pronoun noun'e'>
> construction.

I spent a good chunk of yesterday evening trying to find the limits to 
which you refer. Do you have a source I can look at? I haven't had time to 
go back to the dawn of time in the archives yet, so my apologies if I'm 
holding up a dead horse for further abuse.

>From MO's description of -vaD (for, intended for) and the "to be" section,
it seems this sentence can say:

As for this chocolate, it is intended for the officer.

> This sentence steps beyond those limits...

If I read your interpretation correctly, then the examples in TKD, page 68, 
could be read, e.g.:
	In his quarters, the commander is...

...Is shaving? Dressing? Sleeping? It doesn't specifywhat he's doing in 
his quarters, only that presently that's his location. Likewise, if I intend 
"this chocolate" for that officer, I may not need to specify what he does
with it, or why I'm providing it.
I agree, the statement is inherently vague with respect to my motive for 
providing chocolate (or a medikit, or whatever). I think context would 
provide some clue as to my intent. Maybe chocolate's a great palliative 
for klingon wounds.


> > (pg. 64 para. 2): "The whole construction...is used...as a noun". 
> 
> Except for the use of Type 5 noun suffixes applied to verbs
> that are used adjectivally, or any noun suffix following a verb
> with the {-wI'} or {-ghach} suffixes, we have no justification
> for applying noun suffixes to verbs.

But the verb here is in a construction which, according to my quote from 
MO above, acts like a noun. I know, it looks awkward, and if a decision is 
ever made about where to put n-5 suffixes in a rel clause this is probably 
not the place.


'ej vaj tlhetlh
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