tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Jan 30 08:40:29 1998

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Re: Babalon vaghDaq, qaStaH nuq??

In a message dated 98-01-28 14:26:03 EST, charghwI' writes:

<< There are enough definitions which do include prepositions that
 I feel it is safe to assume that when there is no such
 preposition in the definition, it is not safe to assume there
 could be. I don't see "cooperate" as a transitive verb. If you
 assume that an indirect object linked by "with" in English can
 act as direct object, then why not one linked by
 "about/concerning" so the direct object could be the person you
 cooperate with or the topic you cooperate about, or maybe even
 the parameters of the agreement?
 
 No. Unless we see otherwise, there is no way to link the
 English definition to a direct object. If the Klingon word has
 a link to a direct object, we need some guidance as to what
 kind of object can be the direct object of this verb. So far,
 we don't have that guidance.
 
 I argue, on the other hand, that {mej} CAN have a direct object
 because the English definition "depart, leave" CAN have a
 direct object with no additional prepositions. I leave the
 airport. It can be said as, "I leave from the airport," but I
 think most people would consider "airport" to be the direct
 object in "I left the airport at 9:30."
  >>
-peHruS writes back-----
charghwI', jIQochbe'qu'
Unlike Chinese (putonghua), in which most verbs contain a prepositional
concept whenever convenient--putonghua has no prepositions, after all--Klingon
verbs as glossed by MO either take a direct object or include an inseparable
prepositional concept which takes an object.  As much as I would like to use
chegh, etc. without the locative suffix -Daq on a noun and jaH, etc. without
the suffix -vo' on a noun, I must agree that, unless the verb is glossed as
containing an inseparable prepositional concept, the Klingon sentence using
such a verb must also have a noun-type-five clause at its beginning.

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