tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Jun 12 16:17:37 1996
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Re: Rampant Puncuation
- From: [email protected]
- Subject: Re: Rampant Puncuation
- Date: Wed, 12 Jun 1996 19:17:19 -0400
Hmmm . . . DaHjaj jIjatlhtaHqu', qar'a'?
In a message dated 96-06-12 15:01:39 EDT, Dave S. wrote:
>Should English punctuation be used in the context of tlhIngan Hol? You see
>it
>quite a bit on the list here, but in the strictest sense, shouldn't
>punctuation
>be implied by the context of the sentence structure? I agree that Hamlet
>(though I don't have a copy myself) would no doubt be difficult to translate
>and
>read without it (as stated by SuStel), but is it correct?
If I may: we use Roman letters to represent the *sounds* spoken in Klingon,
but it has nothing to do with how they write it. They use something called
{pIqaD}, which we don't know much about.
The technical answer: When using our Roman letter system, there are sometimes
ambiguities to be found in Klingon sentences. For example, {muleghDI' yaS
targh vIHoH} could mean, "When the officer sees me, I kill his targ," or it
could mean, "When the officer's targ sees me, I kill it." These two
sentences are very different in meaning. Which one am I trying to convey?
If I use punctuation in the Klingon, {muleghDI' yaS, targh vIHoH.}, then you
know which one I meant: in this case, the former.
The quick answer: Okrand uses punctuation in his sentences in "The Klingon
Way" (and other sources, I'm told).
SuStel
Stardate 96448.9