tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Feb 08 20:51:26 1998

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Re: KLBC: Asterix



On Sat, 7 Feb 1998 12:19:05 -0800 (PST) Alan Anderson 
<[email protected]> wrote:

> >On Wed, 4 Feb 1998 01:06:05 -0800 (PST) Qov <[email protected]>
> >wrote:
> >
> >> At 06:43 98-02-02 -0800, edy wrote:
> >> }mughuHmoH Qov
> >>
> >> }>Note that it takes this order ONLY as a toast.  As a general statement the
> >> }>subject {chaj} would follow the verb.
> >> }
> >> }    And about this construction:
> >> }
> >> }reH qa'pu' QaQ lItlhejjaj
> >> }(May the good spirits accompany you (all) always)
> >>
> >> In a toast only.  And only assuming that the concept "good spirits"
> >> translates into Klingon.
> 
> ja' charghwI':
> >I don't believe that this works "in a toast only". I think it
> >works only in a classic toast written in earlier times... In
> >other words, Okrand can do it and we can't unless we are quoting
> >him. He obviously made a mistake with {'IwlIj jachjaj} and
> >Krankor caught him and Okrand covered his butt, humorously. All
> >modern toasts must be written with modern grammar. This has to
> >be: {reH lItlhejjaj qa'pu' QaQ}
> 
> KGT page 25 doesn't say anything about "classic" toasts.

Thanks for pointing this out. I was still operating under the 
HolQeD article written by ~mark where the conclusion was that 
"classic" toasts were OSV while modern toasts were OVS. From 
this, I'd assume that a curse would still be OVS, while a toast 
would be OSV.

>   If either of these sentiments is given as a toast, however, a special
>   rule--applicable to toast only, and therefore better described as
>   socially motivated than as grammatically motivated--must be followed.
>   In a toast, the last word is always the verb (ending in {-jaj} ["may"]),
>   even if that means the subject precedes the verb.
> 
> Toasts are only given in modern grammar in the Sakrej and No'hvadut
> dialects.  Krankor makes no effort to hide his Sakrejian upbringing. :-)
> 
> -- ghunchu'wI'

charghwI'




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