tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sat Feb 28 11:49:19 1998
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
Re: Some Grammar Questions
- From: Qov <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: Some Grammar Questions
- Date: Sat, 28 Feb 1998 11:47:38 -0800
I see that this has been answered, but I see that charghwI' missed your
prefix error, so Ill send this anyway to fix that, and to demonstrate that
people who speak the language do understand the same things from the same
words. :)
At 14:33 98-02-25 -0800, Jeff Zeitlin wrote:
}1. Compound Imperatives
}
} If the objects of two sentences are the same, is it
} necessary to repeat the common object, or may the
} sentences be combined:
}
} qama'pu'li' yISaH - Care about your prisoners!
} qama'pu'li' yIQorgh - Care for your prisoners!
}
} Given those two sentences, is
}
} qama'pu'li' yISaH 'ej yIQorgh
Watch out. {qama'pu'lI' tISaH 'ej tIQorgh}. Plural object imperative prefix.
} permissible for "Care about your prisoners, and care for
} them!"?
The classic canon is something like: DeSvetlh yIchop yIchev
"Bite that arm off!" Literally, closer to "Bite that arm, separate it!"
The object of the sentence is implied with the {tI-} on {tIQorgh}. You
don't need to repeat the object. See section 6.2.1 for a demonstration of
this with a declarative sentence.
}2. Topicalization with 'e'
}
} Is it acceptable/proper to use this construct to convert
} a multi-word sentence into a noun phrase?
}
} jagh boHIvmeH Dup bolo' - You use strategy to attack the enemy.
}
} becomes
}
} jagh boHIvmeH Dup'e' bolo' - the strategy that you use to attack
the }enemy
I read this as "You use the _strategy_ to attack the enemy."
{jagh boHIvmeH Dup bolo'bogh vISov} means "I know the strategy you
used/use/will use to attack the enemy."
Qov [email protected]
Beginners' Grammarian