tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Jan 20 15:07:55 1998
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
At 13:26 98-01-20 -0800, Qey'liS/Qo'noS wrote:
Welcome to the list and to the language. I'm Qov, the current Beginners'
Grammarian, which means that I'm this semester's designated person to help
beginners and heckle more experienced speakers with the goal of raising the
quality of everyone's tlhIngan Hol.
}nuq!
I'm not sure if you intended this as a greeting ... it just means "What?!"
Ther eis a Klingon greeting {nuqneH} but it's usually used in response to
someone approaching you, because it means literally "whatdyawant?"
}vIchu'
Check out the prefix table on page 33. Your sentence has no object: you
aren't ssaying you are new something, you're just new, so the "no object"
prefix {jI-} is appropriate. {jIchu'} -- I'm new.
}vIyajlaHbe'
This means "I can't understand it" (or "him" or "her" or "them"). If you
just wanted to say "I can't understand." That would need the no object
prefix again. {jIyajlaHbe'}.
}QaH vIchu'
I can tell you are trying for "Help! I'm new." See above for "I'm new."
For "Help!" in Klingon you could just say {QaH}, that would be "clipped
Klingon", appropriate in an emergency, but here we try to use full proper
Klingon, so use the imperative prefix (chart, p. 34) {HI-}. {HIQaH} - "Help
me!"
}qoSwIj wa'leS cha' maH wa'DIch
You're trying to say your age, or when your birthday was? Please include an
English translation next time so I don't have to guess.
}jIh mu'ghomlIj lo'
Now you need to have another look at chapter six. (I expect you to have
read through all the grammar and I expect you to read it many many more
times until your dictionary is worn out and you have to tape it together or
buy another one.) In a Klingon sentence the object comes first, then the
verb, and the subject last. Pronouns are usually optional. And oops, you
claim to be doing something with my dictionary. Don't forget prefixes.
mu'ghomwIj vIlo' - I used my dictionary.
}Qah- How do I say in klingon: I am, you are, he is and so fort
}the different forms of the verb BE?
Read section 6.3. Surprising, eh? Also note that the verb to be is
included in the English translation of some Klingon verbs. So {jIDoy'} is
"I am tired." Write some practice sentences and post them here.
}And what is 'Thank you' in klingon?
Klingons don't go around saying thank you for every little thing, but if
they do thank someone, they can use the word {tlho'} with the prefix shoing
who is thanking whom. Use the prefix chart on p. 33 and try it.
}vI Finnish
Those prefixes are only ever to be used as prefixes, not as separate words.
I'd say: {*Finland*ngan jIH}. "I am an inhabitant of Finland." I put *'s
around non-Klingon words so that no one tries to look them up.
}pongwIj Janne 'a lo' Qey'liS
Section 6.3 shows how to do this, too. It's trickier than you might think.
{Janne 'oH pongwIj'e'} my name is Janne
{'a Qey'liS vIlo'} but I use Qey'liS
}I hope that went OK, for a first timer
You betcha. A good start. Typical questions, a few typical errors, but
you're on your way. There are other Klingon speakers in Finland, if you're
lucky maybe one lives near you.
}HELP- why do I have to reply to [email protected], and not directly to the
}person who sent me the message?
It's the way the list is set up. If you really want to write a personal
reply, just copy the from line of the message into the to line of your reply.
Qov [email protected]
Beginners' Grammarian