tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Aug 07 09:22:41 1996
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Re: KBLC: Like
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>Date: Wed, 7 Aug 1996 07:39:12 -0700
>From: "A.Appleyard" <[email protected]>
> ghItlhpu' [email protected] (Mike Rowe)
>(Subject: KBLC: Like):-
>> I am composing a Haiku. I need some help here. I can't find how to express
>> the concept of being like something. (like is listed as a verb, I assume as
>> in "I like ice cream.") how would I express this idea. "Move like a ray of
>> light": I have this so far: {vIH <like> wov tIH} ...
> {rur} = "he resembles".
> Here we again run into Klingon's apparent lack of an adverbizing suffix as
>in "He wrote this book drunken<ly>".
> {paqvam ghItlhpu'} he wrote this book
> {paqvam ghItlhpu' 'e'} that he wrote this book (clause used as noun)
> **{chech paqvam ghItlhpu' 'e'} = "the (action of him having written this
>book) is drunk" seems tempting, but I saw once that 'e' clauses can't be used
>as subjects of verbs; and how to tell where the 'e' clause starts?.
How can "his writing of the book" be drunk? Actions don't drink!
You're correct about 'e' not being usable as the subject of a sentence.
See TKD, p. 65 (Section 6.2.5):
"They ['e' and net] are *always* treated as the *object* of the verb..."
(emphasis added).
It's notable that in all the canon we've seen, 'e' is NEVER used as
anything else, nor is there ever any suffix on it.
> What comments on **{chech 'oH paqvam ghItlhpu' 'e''e'} = "the (action of him
>having written this book): it is drunk"?
Same as above: actions aren't drunk, 'e' can't be the subject, and besides,
I'm not sure how your pronouns link to their antecedents; this sentence is
extremely confusing in structure.
> **{paqvam ghItlhpu' 'e' chech} is noun-equivalent plus adjective, not a
>complete sentence; is it near enough to be passable?
No. 'e' has to be the OBJECT OF THE VERB. What verb? chech? I am not
sure what object, if any, chech takes, but whatever it is it can't be the
thing drunk. You're trying to use it as a noun to be modified by an
adjective? I really don't trust that, not even if you had another, main
verb around. I don't think we've ever seen an adjective modify ANY
pronoun in Klingon (even in English, that's pretty marked). It may be
possible, but likely rarely necessary, if ever.
For "he wrote this book drunkenly," how about:
paqvam ghItlhtaHvIS, chech[law']?
> Likewise "the act of him moving resembles a ray of light" wants to be **{tiH
>wov rur <vIH 'e'>} (or {... yIvIH...} if he wanted imperative), but with
>objections as above; or try **{tiH wov rur 'oH (yI)vIH 'e''e'}?
No and no. See my responses above and prior post.
~mark
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