tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Feb 08 19:12:35 1996

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Re: KLBC Preguntas

mu'vaj (the student formerly known as Qogh) writes:
>1. How would you say "Your eyes shine like stars?"

Hovmey rur mInDu'lIj boch.  bochmo' Hovmey Da mInDu'lIj.
Hovmey boch Da mInDu'lIj.  Hovmey rur bochbogh mInDu'lIj.  (etc.)

>I'm most
>interested in how to form a similie, so if this seems to un-tlhingan
>feel free to recast the phrase or even choose an other example.

The usual way is to use the verb {rur} "resemble".  It's also possible
to use {Da} "behave as, act like" in many cases.

>2.How does one express "inside?"

By referring to what something is "inside" of.  Try a different sentence
using the word {Dech} "surround" or {ngaS} "contain", or maybe rephrase
it to use {joj} "area between" instead.

>3. Ditto for wall.  There doesn't seem to be a word for "wall" in TKD
>so how would you get the idea across?

By pretending that there's no "wall" in the English dictionary. :-)
I think {pa' veH} is pretty succinct and unambiguous, but that might
be because I came up with it.  What do you think?  Seriously, "wall"
is near the top of my personal vocabulary wish list, right up there
with "curtain" and "dance".

>4. Is there any way to express a fraction?

Yes, {bIH} :-)  The only "generic" fraction we have is {vatlhvI'}.
"One quarter impulse power" is {cha'maH vagh vatlhvI' Hong}.

>5. How does tlhingan Hol handle double reference to the same
>individual?  E.g. Gowron, chancelor of the Klingon Empire, is a great
>warrior.

I believe this is called "apposition", and we have very few examples
of its use in Klingon.  A couple of Skybox cards appear to put the
name after the description, but the translation looks something like
"the Klingon Empire's chancellor Gowron", as if it were a title.
{tlhIngan wo' Duj pagh'e'} "the Imperial Klingon Vessel Pagh" and
{juHqo'vo' Qo'noS} "from the Homeworld Kronos" are what I've seen.

>6. Can you parse this sentance or is it total nonsense?  SaHbogh
>wanI'mey Suvpu'pa' maHvaD lut ja'.  It's bound to be the most
>complicated thing I've yet written in Hol and I'm not sure It makes
>sense.

"She told us a story before she had fought the events that were present."
Or "he" -- it's not important.  It's well written, but without some more
context, the meaning isn't obvious.

-- ghunchu'wI'               batlh Suvchugh vaj batlh SovchoH vaj

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