tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Jan 02 12:13:19 1998
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Re: KLBC -- jIlIHegh (extreme beginner)
- From: Qov <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: KLBC -- jIlIHegh (extreme beginner)
- Date: Fri, 02 Jan 1998 12:12:54 -0800
At 13:58 98-01-01 -0800, notjISaH wrote:
}This reminds me of something else I was thinking about:
}
}Suppose I wanted to do ::actions:: in Klingon. I don't know whether the
}shrugging of shoulders means anything in that culture, but if it does, or if I
}obstinately want to communicate the idea to an Earth-born audience, some of
}the following seem like they might work:
I would just type ::loQ volchaHDu'Daj pep Qov::
}volchaHDu'wIj vIpep. -- I raise my shoulders. / I shrug.
}(possibly equivalent to the chat-room-type comment ::shrugs::)
qar
}volchaHDu' vIpep. -- I raise [the] shoulders. / I shrug.
}(possibly equivalent to the chat-room-type comment ::shrugs::)
}I added this one without the "my" thinking of the idioms for shrugging in some
}other languages, where no possessive is appropriate.
QechlIj vIyajchu'. The possessive suffixes do seem to be used with body parts.
{quv Hutlh HoHbogh tlhIngan 'ach qabDaj 'angbe'bogh} TKW p. 59
}volchaHDu' peplu'. -- The shoulders are raised.
}(probably closer to ::shrug:: except that it's a noun in this English usage.)
}I can't figure out whether {peplu'} needs a prefix, actually. Can someone
}correct the grammar here?
{lupeplu'}. The prefix on a verb with {-lu'} is always a third person
singular object prefix. The one you choose depends on the object of the
verb with {-lu'}. Klingons often omit {lu-} when the meaning is
unambiguous, but such omission is still considered a grammatical error. See
section 4.2.5 in TKD and p. 168 in KGT if you have it.
}In Spanish, a lot of verbs like this are reflexive....so it's sort of I-
}shrug-myself the-shoulders. I-brush-myself the-teeth. I guess it
}wouldn't make sense to start dropping {-'egh} in there...?
qayajqa'chu'. I use this example often when pointing out that we assume
things about Klingon without realizing it, based on English. I would not
consider such usage wrong. Most English Klingon speakers would think it
very odd.
}---in manic 1st-day spirit,
notjISaH, if you're really absorbed and figured out that much on your own in
one day, next week you can teach me how to speak Klingon.
Qov [email protected]
Beginners' Grammarian