tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sat Jan 04 14:54:09 1997

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RE: KLBC: practice dialogue

January 03, 1997 6:58 PM, jatlh Caryn Law:

> One question: do you use the question mark after Klingon questions, or
> is the question word or suffix sufficient?

This is in the FAQ: http://www.thomtech.com/~dspeers/klingon/faq.html

Here's the short version:

Since our ASCII version of "spoken" Klingon is not really the Klingon writing 
system, go ahead and use whatever punctuation you think will help.

> ('avwI'pu' DataH cha' tlhinganpu')

Is there some reason you didn't just say {'avtaH cha' tlhInganpu'}?

> 1: net nuq?

{net} means the same thing as {'e'}: it refers to "that," meaning the previous 
*sentence*.  Since you're not referring to a sentence, but a noise, you cannot 
use {net}.

vay' vIQoy.  nuq 'oH?
I heard something.  What was it?

Looking ahead, I see you've already got this later.

Here's an idea: if you use the word {chay'} "how?" by itself as an 
exclamation, it means "What's going on?"  Klingon #1 might say {chay'?}

> 2: nuq?

{nuq} is asking for a *thing*.  If you ask {chay'?}, you cannot really say 
{nuq}.  In English, saying "What?" by itself often means the same thing as 
"huh?" which might be translated as {nuqjatlh?}.  But perhaps this isn't how 
you mean it.  Argh!  This story is too vague!!

> 1: vay' vIQoypu'.

Note that {-pu'} is perfective, not past tense.  When you say {vIQoypu'}, you 
are saying (in this context), "As of right now, I have already heard it."  The 
same idea would be conveyed if you simply said {vay' vIQoy}.  It would be 
translated as "I heard something."  The context tells you that this is what 
you mean.  Your sentence is not wrong, but it may be focusing on the 
perfective when it doesn't need to.

> 2: vIQoypu'be'.

Literally, again, this means "As of the present moment (context tells us 
this), I have not completed hearing something."  Again, a simpler sentence 
would simply be {vIQoybe'} "I did not hear it."

For more on aspect, see the FAQ.

You don't need the word "anything."  What you really mean is "I didn't hear 
whatever it is that you're referring to," and that's exactly what context 
tells us you meant!

> 1: yIjaH 'ej yInej!

Instead of {nej}, a better word might be {Sam}.  {nej} just means "search," 
but {Sam} means "seek and locate."  Surely, that's what #1 wants #2 to do!

> (nej tlhingan cha' 'ej chegh ghaH.)
> 1: toH, nuq Daleghpu'?

Now, here {-pu'} might be more appropriate.  The action is obviously done, and 
he's asking "What have you seen?"  Still, {nuq Dalegh} would do just fine.  
It's really a matter of emphasis.

> 2: pagh vIleghpu'.

There's no need for word-for-word translations.  Pick the best wording to 
convey the *idea*.  {pagh} does this perfectly.  You still don't need a word 
for "anything."

> 1: ngemDaq ghoSlu'!

That's an interesting use of {-lu'}.  I can't say it's wrong, but I'd favor 
using a subject {vay'} here.  You've been using it to refer to this mysterious 
thing all along, so why not continue.

Also, this says "Something approaches towards the forest!"  What you want is 
{ngemvo' ghoS vay'!}  "Something is coming from the forest!"  (Or {ngemvo' 
ghoSlu'}).

> (Hagh tlhingan cha'.)

I try not to worry about the occasional mis-capitalized {I}, but this is the 
third time I've noticed . . .

The word in spelled {tlhIngan}, not {tlhingan}.  In Klingon, you must always 
capitalize the {I}s.  It's kind of a stupid rule, as it accomplishes nothing, 
but there it is.

> 2: vIlegh'a'? targh neH chIllu'pu'bogh!

This is "Do I see it?" not "Do you see."  However, I don't think that 
{Dalegh'a'} would be a particularly appropriate expression.  Usually, it's 
used as an idiom in English.  While in this case the Klingons actually ARE 
seeing something, I'd still avoid it.

They have made a discovery.  A particularly useful expression at this time is 
{toH!} "Aha!"

Nice work with {targh neH chIllu'pu'bogh}!  This time, the aspect suffix is 
especially appropriate!

-- 
SuStel
Beginners' Grammarian
Stardate 97012.3

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