tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Feb 10 08:35:36 1998
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Re: KLBC: equally beautiful
According to [email protected]:
>
...
> I am happy with the simile construction. I now want to compare/equate stative
> verb qualities more precisely. Even though it is the idea of a KLI member, I
> hope MO comes up with the same idea later: tut jen law' qachvetlh jen nIb.
I think you disrespect the uniqueness of the comparative
grammar of Klingon by seeking to extend it in this way. Okrand
may agree, though this is highly unlikely. While your interest
in using Klingon has increased markedly over the past few
months, you still seem more interested in leaving your mark on
the grammar and vocabulary than you are in using it for
communication.
The simile construction simply works for this communicative
need. It may not sound "right" to you, but it simply works. I
don't know anyone else on the list who generally can understand
the langauge who would not understand:
jen tut. qachvetlh rur.
Placing these two sentences next to each other links the
resemblance to the height. The two items are not identical.
They resemble each other because of their equivalent quality
pointed out by the first sentence.
You similarly wanted to be able to construct comparatives
between verbs as well as nouns, but, again, that extends the
comparative construction beyond its functionality. Again, the
simile seems to take care of that.
I can run as fast as Worf.
nom jIqetlaH. wo'rIv vIrur.
Again, creating this sort of context link, I can similarly say,
"I can run faster than Worf":
nom wo'rIv qetlaH, 'ach jIH QaQ law' wo'rIv QaQ puS.
Note that Okrand has NOT said that this is how it is done. He
may very well come up with an official construction for this
sort of thing. Meanwhile, without extending any existing
grammar, this carries the meaning quite well. People who
understand the existing grammar and vocabulary can understand
it. I think it is not an example of what ~mark might call a
"hindsight" construction.
I'd like a word for "be fast" instead of an adverbial, but I
can live with what we are given.
> pItlh peHruS
charghwI'