tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Sep 01 23:33:40 1998

Back to archive top level

To this year's listing

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]

RE: KLBC - syntatic markers type 5 nsuf

lab Michael H. Clawson:

>raSvetlhDaq pa' vISop
>I ate at that table over there

I don't think the <pa'> is necessary in this sentence. <raSvetlhDaq> refers
to a specific table (e.g. you're pointing to it), so the "over there" is not
necessary.

>noHmo' Hegh 'Iw chIlDaj
>Due to the war he died from loss of his blood

First off, <chIl> is a verb meaning "lose, misplace", not a noun. I don't
think it can apply to blood loss - you don't really misplace your blood. We
do have another word which is useful, though - <regh>, which means "to
bleed". Second, you are saying something like "his blood loss died", which
is not what you want.

The <noHmo'> is fine, so let's fix the rest of the sentence. He died from
excessive blood loss, and we can express that idea with <-mo'> again:
<reghqu'mo'>. The whole sentence then winds up being:

noHmo' reghqu'mo' Hegh.

>tuv'elvaD nob
>This gift is for Tuv'el

Since <nob> is both a verb and a noun, this sentence could either be "he/she
gave (something) to tuv'el", or a sentence fragment which might mean "the
gift for tuv'el". To say, for example, Maltz gave the betleH to Qov, you
would use <nob> as a verb: <QovvaD betleH nob matlh>.

What I think you are trying to say is "I gave this gift to tuv'el." With
that alternative phrasing, try again.

>Dujwijvo' lItHa'
>Get off my ship

Capitalize those I's. You also forgot a verb prefix: <DujwIjvo' yIlItHa'>.
If you are addressing multiple people, the prefix is different: <DujwIjvo'
pelItHa'>. Consider also some alternative vocabulary here: <tIj>, <jol>, and
<Qol>. Think of how they might be used in a similar sentence.

>SoH qaHoH jiH'e'
>I will kill you

Remember the capital I again. Except for that, this is fine, but the Klingon
is a bit stronger than your English translation. Since pronouns are usually
unnecessary in Klingon, your sentence puts some emphasis on the "I" and the
"you". The <-'e'> puts even more emphasis on the "I", and implies it is
somehow important that I, and not somebody else, will kill you.

>I also would like to know where I can find a copy of Hamlet in Klingon?

I believe the KLI has sold out all of the regular hardbound copies of
Hamlet, but be patient. A deal is in the works with Pocket Books to print a
paperback.


pagh
Beginners' Grammarian

Back to archive top level