tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Sep 23 13:14:13 1998
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Re: KLBC: qID vIHoH
ja' voragh:
> : lab HovqIj:
> :
> : > HeDaq chechwI' ghom *vampire* loD be' je.
> :
> : Consider <'Iw tlhutlhwI'> for vampire. It's even a palindrome.
> :
> : Also, I think you need to put the "vampire" before the <be'> as well. In
> : English, you can say "a vampire man and woman", but I think the Klingon
> : can only mean "a vampire, a man, and a woman".
> :
> : pagh
>
> Perhaps. We do have canon for this type of listing apposition:
>
> DuraS tuq tlhIngan yejquv patlh luDub 'e' reH lunIDtaH DuraS be'nI'pu'
> lurSa' be'etor je.
> The sisters of the House of Duras, Lursa and B'Etor, are constantly
> seeking a higher standing for the House of Duras within the Klingon
> High Council. (SkyBox S26 )
>
> This can also be translated as "the Duras sisters, [plus] Lursa, and B'Etor"
> (i.e. at least four people). Context makes it clear--after all, everyone
> knows the infamous Duras sisters! Note that Okrand did not say *<DuraS
> be'nI' lurSa' DuraS be'nI' be'etor je>.
Daj. bong DoS vIqIp.
>
>
> Punctuation helps:
>
> HeDaq chechwI' lughom 'Iw tlhutlhwI'pu', loD be' je.
>
> HeDaq chechwI' lughom 'Iw tlhutlhwI'pu'--loD be' je.
>
> HeDaq chechwI' lughom 'Iw tlhutlhwI'pu' (loD be' je).
>
> Since <lu-> implies a plural subject, you can even leave off the plural
> suffix altogether:
>
> HeDaq chechwI' lughom 'Iw tlhutlhwI', loD be' je.
>
> This last version does expect the reader to be paying attention, though.
> But then, what writer wants to waste his time writing for the careless and
> inattentive? If you want to say "a vampire, a man, and a woman" (i.e. three
> people), I think you would simply drop the comma:
>
> HeDaq chechwI' lughom 'Iw tlhutlhwI' loD be' je.
>
> Admittedly, this is a fine distinction and we need more examples of Okrand's
> use of punctuation in long, complex sentences. Studying all of the SkyBox
> texts together should prove instructive. In speech, the difference is
> signified by intonation and the length of the pause after <'Iw tlhutlhwI'>
> which is, after all, what good punctuation is.
jIQochbe'
>
>
>
>
> --
> Voragh "Grammatici certant et adhuc sub judice
> Ca'Non Master of the Klingons lis est." Horace (Ars Poetica)
HovqIj