tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Oct 23 14:24:12 1998

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Re: drillmusciangroup

On Thu, 22 Oct 1998 12:24:34 -0700 (PDT) Pam Felton 
<[email protected]> wrote:

> 
> 
> charghwI' 'utlh wrote:
> 
> > On Thu, 22 Oct 1998 09:32:40 -0700 (PDT) Pam Felton
> > <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > > You know that thread where the writer said, "If we can mash two nouns together,
> > > why not three?"  Or something to that effect.  Well, I just started  to read my
> > > TKD another time this morning and on page 19 it says a compound noun can consist
> > > of two or three nouns.  So apparently it is okay to do that with Klingon, right?
...
> > wa' mojDI' wej mu' le' ghu'. jatlhlaHchu'taHpa' taghwI'pu'
> > le'choH taghwI'pu' neHlaw' taghwI'pu'.
> >
> > Three words packed into one is an extreme. Beginners are often
> > drawn to explore the extremes long before they learn to express
> > normal things well.
> 
> It has nothing to do with me being a beginner.  Why stereotype me?  

SoHvaD jItlhIj. For years, I've dealt with beginners who started 
off trying to boldly go where no Klingon speaker has gone 
before. If they read that you can pack three nouns together to 
make a compound, well, then why not FOUR? Never mind that they 
haven't figured out how to us NORMAL nouns yet to express 
anything like a thought. As their first project, they seek to 
pack nouns together and ask everybody if it makes sense. We 
suggest that they do something else instead, and they come back 
with a long list of nouns piled together. We tell them that this 
is the wrong approach to the language and they come back with an 
even BIGGER pile of crushed nouns.

This is not you, but it is also not just my imagination. I'm 
sorry that I generalized that you might be like these others who 
have come and gone, staying just long enough to be annoying and 
then going away forever.

I mistakenly thought you were getting snagged on a detail and 
you were on the verge of getting stubborn about it. It is not 
that I dislike stubbornness. It is often refreshing. But some 
issues don't deserve stubbornness, though some are willing to 
spend that currency like a gambling fool.

> I'm no where near
> the skill level that you are.  

Thank you. You have no idea how intimidating it is to have 
teenagers pop up and say, "Hi. I got TKD last week and I've been 
lurking on this list for the past two hours. Here's my 
translation of Moby Dick." And it turns out to be a GOOD 
translation.

This is an exaggeration, but we have had some downright 
startlingly talented people here, like Qov and ghuyDo' wa' who 
are simultaneously refreshing and intimidating. I have less 
talent than diligence by comparison, though there is a spark in 
terms of my ability to occasionally turn a good phrase.

You will be good at this. Have no doubt.

Also, this is not a competition. It is a cooperation. 
Communication is not something one can do well. It takes at 
least two, preferably more. It may be a somewhat aggressive 
cooperation, but it is a cooperation all the same.

> I know that and I trust everything you say because I
> know one learns a lot from experience.  So if you tell me don't do it I'm not going to
> because I realize that in a few years, or however long it takes, I'll see that you're
> right.  I think I am learning to express normal things well.  I know I'm trying very
> hard to learn tlhIngan Hol right.
 
You will succeed.

> > jIQIjmeH jInIDqa': wej mu'meyvaD wa' mu' DamojmoHpa' qechvam
> > Daqel mangachlI'DI' tlhIngan Hol neH wIjatlhtaHvIS. Qu'vam
> > Data'pu'chugh DaH DIvI' Hol vIlo'nISbe'.
> >
> > Let me put it this way: I would expect you to be well capable of
> > offering a discussion using the Klingon language about packing
> > three nouns into one long before I'd expect you to have a valid
> > reason to actually do it.
> 
> This will probably be the case.
> 
> > If you were there already, this
> > discussion would probably not now be in English.
> 
> Ouch.  :(

Be patient. It is only a matter of time.
 
> K'ryntes

charghwI' 'utlh

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