tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Aug 08 15:55:29 1996

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Re: Something fun

qaSDI' 96-08-08 12:00:39 EDT, jatlh marqem:

> marqoS suggests:
>  <<<
>  jIje'qu'taH vaj jIH!
>  or
>  jIje'qu'taHmo' jIH!
>  >>>
>  
>  I don't think you CAN use a pronoun by itself to mean "to be" in 
>  the sense of "to exist". Okrand has been quoted in this list 
>  (sorry, reference not handy) as saying he specifically wanted to 
>  NOT have a verb "to be".

Reference: Star Trek 25th Anniversary Special.  A brief clip has Marc Okrand
talking about this.

I'd like to point out that when I originally suggested this use of {jIH}, I
believe I specifically pointed out that this was not a grammatical usage, but
rather that I was trying to make a philosophical point.  I'm almost sorry I
ever tried (bepbe' tlhInganpu'!), but let me try one more time to fix this.

***Remember, this is a highly marked and questionable usage!!!***

I am not saying {jIH} with the meaning of "to be" as in "I am."  I am not
trying to literally translate the English (or Latin) sentence.  When I say
{jIH}, I am making use of the pronoun to emphasize my "pronounness."  I am
pointing out that I am an entity, with an identity seperate from the universe
around me.  Unlike a deer, which acts purely on instinct, I am aware of this
identity and can act upon this knowledge.  I am not trying to say "I exist."
 Existence is completely irrelevant to this idea, except that you have to
exist in order to have a seperate identity.  A deer exists, but does not
conceive of itself as an entity, and thus is not seperate from the universe
as I am.  The deer does exist!

So, when I say, {jIQub vaj jIH} (I agree, I should get rid of the {-taH}), I
am ***NOT*** saying "I think therefore I exist."  I exist whether or not I
think about it.  But because I have the ability to acknowledge my identity,
because I can "think," I therefore am an entity seperate from the universe
which surrounds me.  I am not talking about whether or not I exist!

***Remember, this is a highly marked and questionable usage!!!***

Also remember, I'm trying to be a bit poetic here.

By the way, I like the absolute obscurity which {jIQubmo' jIH} gives.  It
looks like an incomplete sentence, "Because *I* think," which actually goes a
long way to supporting the idea which I'm trying to convey.  I think it's
just a bit TOO confusing, though, even for me!

Anyone still dare to think I'm trying to say "to be" or "exist"?  :)

SuStel
Stardate 96604.9

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