tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Apr 20 15:09:33 1997
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RE: KLBC: Responding to the curious
- From: "David Trimboli" <[email protected]>
- Subject: RE: KLBC: Responding to the curious
- Date: Sun, 20 Apr 97 15:25:08 UT
jatlh Banzai:
> Many time when it comes up in conversation that I am learning to speak
> tlhIngan Hol, the inevitable response is, "Say something in Klingon." I
> thought the perfect reply would be, "What do you want me to say?", only
> spoken in tlhIngan Hol. Can SuStel (and then others, of course) tell me if
> my syntax is okay? I respond:
>
> nuq jIjatlh DaneH, or "You want that I say what?"
Yeah, this happens to me a lot. Here's a funny problem: you know how I have
this thing against question as object? Well, your sentence is one. The
second sentence is the one that is actually *happening* ({DaneH} "you want
it"), but it is a statement. The first sentence (which would have to be {nuq
vIjatlh}, as the {nuq} is substituting for a noun, not a sentence) is the
question, but not the "base" sentence. {nuq vIjatlh DaneH} *looks* okay, but
I would not want to use it?
I occasionally use {nuq vIjatlhnIS?} "What must I say?" Something long-winded
(which the person bugging you will positively love), is {mu'tlhegh vImughmeH,
jIHvaD wa' yIja'} "tell me a sentence to translate."
A warning: this sort of person is almost certainly going to ask you to say
something which happens to concern questionable grammar.
> Also note to SuStel: I've been practicing my "tlh" sound and it's sounding
> better and better. Thanks for the coaching on the Talker. I've even
> tackled trying to say "tlhutlh", which is beginning to sound fairly decent
> when I say it.
maj.
SuStel
Beginners' Grammarian
Stardate 97302.2