tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Jun 30 20:23:31 1997
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Re: KLBC: Gramar Check
- From: "David Trimboli" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: KLBC: Gramar Check
- Date: Tue, 1 Jul 97 02:52:41 UT
[email protected] on behalf of qarnoS wrote:
> Klingon: jIjeychoHta'DI' jIjegh
> English: I become defeated when I surrender
You've got some suffixes on the wrong verbs, and you've changed the meaning of
one of the verbs a bit. Let's take a look at this.
The main point of the sentence is "I become defeated," or "I am defeated."
The "when I surrender" part is a subordinate clause, not the main idea.
So how do we say "I am defeated?" Well, in Klingon {jey} means "defeat." It
does NOT mean "be defeated," which is an entirely different idea. The subject
of {jey} is the person who defeats someone else.
In "I am defeated," who is that someone else? It's not specified; it doesn't
matter as long as *someone* defeated you. This is accomplished by the Type 5
verb suffix {-lu'}. (TKD section 4.2.5).
vIjeylu'
someone defeats me.
Now, when does this happen? "When I surrender." "At the moment that I
surrender, someone defeats me." Using the Type 9 verb suffix {-DI'} "when, as
soon as," ON THE VERB MEANING "SURRENDER," we'll get this meaning. (See TKD
6.2.2)
jIjeghDI'
as soon as I surrender
Now, we just put these together, in either order:
jIjeghDI' vIjeylu'
vIjeylu' jIjeghDI'
"As soon as I surrender, I am defeated."
Are you trying to pose a conditional? Are you trying to say IF you surrender,
this will happen? If so, you might be better off with using the Type 9 verb
suffix {-chugh} "if" instead of {-DI'}.
jIjeghchugh vIjeylu'
vIjeylu' jIjeghchugh
"If I surrender, someone will defeat me."
Which suffix you use depends on exactly what you meant.
--
SuStel
Beginners' Grammarian
Stardate 97497.9