tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Jan 06 16:38:38 1998
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
Re: KLBC-Qov's practice texts
- From: "Robyn Stewart" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: KLBC-Qov's practice texts
- Date: Tue, 6 Jan 1998 16:37:48 PST
- Organization: NLK Consultants, Inc.
- Priority: normal
chas writes:
} rurchuqbe' yiHmey targhmey je.
} Tribbles and targhs do not resemble one another.
{yIHmey}. There is no "i" in Klingon.
}yiHmey DaparHa' vISov.
}I know you like tribbles.
{yIHmey}. There is no "i" in Klingon.
I told you last time to read about SAO in section 6.2.5.
Now read it again and correct this sentence, using {'e'} where it is
required.
}moH nuj yiHlIj.
}Your tribble's mouth is ugly.
{yIHlIj}. There is no "i" in Klingon.
See the section on the Noun-Noun construction, near the end of the
"Nouns" chapter. Note that the item possessed goes second and the
item possessing goes first. {moH yIHlIj nuj}
}meghwIj naQ Sop QIpwI' yiH.
}That stupid tribble ate my lunch all up.
{yIH}. There is no "i" in Klingon.
A good recasting, but maybe "ate my entire lunch" is subtly different
from "ate my lunch all up." Yours is certainly close enough, but I
was hinting at the verb suffix {-chu'} indicating that something is
done all the way. Things like: all up, completely, utterly, totally,
perfectly, to the max, all the way, absolutely, applied to a verb
often indicate that {-chu'} would work well in the translation.
{QIpwI'} means "stupid one" so {QIpwI' yIH} means "The stupid one's
tribble." Read the section called "Adjectives" at the end of the
"Nouns" chapter. A verb modifying a noun goes after the noun. {yIH
QIp} - "stupid tribble."
Read through the type 4 noun suffixes to see how to say "this" and
"that."
{meghwIj Sopchu' yIHvetlh QIp}
}jIqeHbejqu'.
}I am definitely very angry.
{QeH} is angry. {?qeH} is not the same word.
{-qu'} is a rover, which means you move it to where you need it to
indicate the required emphasis. Your sentence says (assuming you had
spelled {QeH} correctly) that you are very definite about being
angry. I want you to be definite about being very angry.
{jIQeHqu'bej}
}yiHlIj wa'leS po Sopbej targhwIj.
}My targ will certainly eat your tribble tomorrow morning.
{yIHlIj} There is no "i" in Klingon.
Time elements go before the OVS of any clause.
{wa'leS po' yIjlIj Sopbej targhwIj}
yiHlIj mo' Dalanbe' Dapay.
You will regret that you didn't put your tribble in a cage.
{yIHlIj}. There is no "i" in Klingon.
Treat this as two sentences, using the SAO construction.
1. You did not put your tribble in a cage.
2. You will regret that.
Read the parts about {-Daq} in the section on type 5 noun suffixes in
the Nouns chapter.
{mo'Daq yIHlIj Dalanbe'pu' 'e' Dapay}
{mo'Daq} - "in a cage" - must come before OVS.
{yIHlIj Dalanbe'pu'} - "you did not put your tribble" - not the
perfective aspect here because the failure to cage the tribble the
came before the regretting. You could have used {-ta'} as well, but
it wouldn't really matter if you deliberately left your tribble
uncaged, or just happened to: both lead to the same regret.
{'e' Dapay} - "you will regret that" - now that the thing regretted
has been established in the first sentence, you use {'e'} to
represent that sentence and continue.
}bItlhIjchugh SoH qaHoHbe'.
}If you apologize I will not kill you.
maj. Note that because the idea of "you" is already represented in
the prefix {qa-}, using {SoH} amounts to a stress, or repetition.
"If you apologize, I won't kill *you*." Very appropriate, given
context. majQa'.
}bItlhIjchughbe' Sopqa' tIv targhwIj.
}If you do not apologize my targ will enjoy a second meal.
If you had just said {bItlhIjchughbe' Sopqa' targhwIj} it would be
grammatical, a fair recast, and funnier than the English I gave. "If
you don't apologize, my targh will resume eating." Two verbs in a
row like that is a no-no in Klingon. You could use SAO again, or you
could use what I intended:
{bItlhIjchughbe' nay' cha'DIch tIv targhwIj.}
I was testing to see if you would correctly put the word for second
*after* the noun.
}mu'tlheghmey DoghwI' ghItlhtaH'a' Qov?
}Why does Qov keep writing these silly sentences?
You know now how to say "silly sentences" correctly, instead of
"sentences' silly ones." Another point: {ghItlh} refers to the
physical process of making the marks, not to composing the sentences,
for which you use {qon}. You forgot "these." Well done chosing the
continuous aspect with {-taH} to represent "keep." You've asked a
quesstion, but it's the wrong question. Should be WHY does Qov keep
doing this, not DOES Qov keep doing it.
{qatlh mu'tlheghmeyvam Dogh qontaH Qov?}
Your next assignment:
1. Write {yIH} seventeen times, spelled correctly.
2. Translate the following:
I saw your tribble threaten that baby.
Your tribble is dangerous.
Someone should arrest that dangerous tribble.
I suspect it does not care about the laws.
Before I die I will see your rotten tribble in hell.
The guards will take your tribble away to jail.
That pet apparently wants to conquer the green planet.
The animal's apparent plans make me uneasy.
Step on the tribble. Flatten it.
Any other beginner's assignment:
Suggest, in Klingon with an English translation, the appropriate
punishment for chas, should ghaH again misspell {yIH}. (Suggestions
in English only are unwanted and a misuse of the list, thus will be
visited on their suggester.)
- Qov