tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Dec 03 10:34:04 1996
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Re: RE: RE: Embedded wh-questions
- From: "William H. Martin" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: RE: RE: Embedded wh-questions
- Date: Tue, 3 Dec 1996 13:33:19 -0500 ()
- Priority: NORMAL
On Tue, 3 Dec 1996 08:13:51 -0800 d'Armond Speers
<[email protected]> wrote:
> On Tuesday, December 03, 1996 12:15 AM, William H.
> Martin[SMTP:[email protected]] wrote:
>
> > > What do you want to eat? Somehow /nuq
> > > DaSop DaneH/ doesn't feel quite right, though that's what I've been
> saying.
> >
> > Actually, this feels exactly right to me. I'd be hard pressed to
> > express it any other way. This is a question, not a reference to
> > a noun described by a relative clause. You are asking for an
> > answer, which is what questions do. In "I wonder who likes
> > Mary," there is no request for an answer. There is no question.
> > There is only a reference to a noun described by a relative
> > clause. See? In "Who do you think the officer hit?" there is a
> > question, I suppose, though it feels like the "which" question
> > word and I want to convert it into a command.
>
> Here's the curve. :) The "wonder" sentence *was* a question. "Who do you
> wonder whether John hit?"
nuqjatlh?
> Let's see if we can find an example unfettered
> by the transitivity question: "who do you see that Mary likes?" It's both
> a relavite clause *and* a wh-question.
"It's a furniture polish AND a new desert topping!" Probably
doesn't do either very well.
> Um, /'Iv'e' parHa'bogh *Mary*
> Dalegh?/ Does that come out right?
Not in my opinion. I see what your mind is trying to wrap words
around, but I don't think it is working in Klingon OR English.
> If so, then why isn't "what do you
> want to eat" (what do you want that you eat) /nuq'e' DaSopbogh DaneH?/?
"You want the what which you eat."? "What is the which that you
eat that you want?" Weird. And not very communicative.
> Or, if /nuq DaSop DaneH/ is right, why isn't the former /'Iv parHa' *Mary*
> 'e' Dalegh?/? Oh, this is getting messy.
NOW you're talking. Yes. This gets VERY messy. High cost. Low
gain. Don't listen to those little voices. Just take your meds
and calm down. The doctor will see you in a moment.
> > Similarly, if you open the refrigerator and ask, "What do you
> > want to eat?", I would want to convert THAT into a command,
> > since you are demanding that I choose, rather than just asking
> > without bounds on my choices.
>
> nuq DaSop? yIwIv!
This, I like.
> > > --Holtej
> > > Stardate 96922.75
> >
> > charghwI'
>
> --Holtej
> Stardate 96924.50
charghwI'
Stardate 96924.8
Now, if your Stardate program only translated BACK to regular
time...