tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Mar 30 10:24:19 1997
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RE: KLBC How's this
- From: "David Trimboli" <[email protected]>
- Subject: RE: KLBC How's this
- Date: Sun, 30 Mar 97 18:07:38 UT
On Sunday, March 30, 1997 5:05 AM, [email protected] on behalf of Stefan
(SovwI) wrote:
> I've started keeping a diary of sorts, just to practice tlhIngan Hol, I'm
> not sure how I've done but here goes...
maj! lI' QonoS!
> Friday 28 March 1997
> DaHjaj <Star Wars> majaH legh !!!!!
> Today we're going to see Star Wars
"We are going to" is usually used to indicate future tense in English.
Sometimes it actually means you are going somewhere.
In the first case (future tense), since Klingon does not have tense, you
merely say
DaHjaj "Star Wars" wIbej.
Today we will watch "Star Wars."
In the second case (going somewhere), we can use a purpose clause to indicate
what we mean:
DaHjaj "Star Wars" wIbejmeH, majaH.
In order that we see "Star Wars" today, we go.
This seems a little silly to me, and I'd recommend that you use the first one.
What you said, *{majaH legh} looks to me like you were trying to parallel the
infinitive "to see" in English. Klingon does not have infinitives.
> Saturday 29 March 1997
> wa'Hu' qaSbe'.
> Yesterday didn't happen
Do you mean that you didn't see "Star Wars" yesterday? Why not say that?
wa'Hu' "Star Wars" wIbejbe'.
You said {wa'Hu' qaSbe'} "Yesterday it did not occur." This is vague, and
Klingons like to be accurate!
> <WarCraft> reH <Sam>.
> Sam played War Craft
maj.
> rIn wa' <A.M.>. \\ Should this have a prefix for "she" or is it just
> implied? //
> She finished at 1AM.
>
> I'm not sure of the usage of time in tlhIngan Hol, TKD has no mention of it
Actually it does, but it's a bit hidden. Time context is placed at the
beginning of a sentence. Think of {DaHjaj} or {wa'leS}. Conversational
Klingon tells us how to tell clock time; the Klingons borrowed our system.
You just spit out military time.
wa' vatlh rep
One hundred hours (one o'clock in the morning)
Another example:
cha'maH cha' vatlh rep
Twenty-two hundred hours (10 pm)
So, to say "She finished at one o'clock in the morning," you'd say
wa' vatlh rep rIn.
She was finished at 1 am.
Yes, the {ghaH} is optional. You only need to add it if you feel you need to
clarify or emphasize the fact that "she" did it. It would be perfectly all
right to say
wa' vatlh rep rIn ghaH.
--
SuStel
Beginners' Grammarian
Stardate 97245.1