tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Jul 03 15:28:24 2003
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Re: -Daq?
"Klingon Warrior" wrote:
>qatlho', SuStel. jIHvaD quv'a' lu'oS mu'meylIj! choquvmoHbej!
>
>David Trimboli <[email protected]> wrote:>From: Klingon Warrior
> >qatlho', SuStel! pIqDaq qechmey vIQum (<= Did I use /-Daq/ correctly in
> >that sentence?)
>
>No. /pIq/ "time period from now" is not a physical location, either.
Okrand explained the use of {pIq} and {ret} "period of time ago" in HolQeD 8.3:
It follows the noun specifying the length of time involved, as in {cha' tup
pIq} "two minutes from now". It is to {poH} what {leS} is to {jaj}. (One
might say that these are associated with the word {poH} "period of time".)
These words follow the more specific time units. For example, "two minutes
ago" is {cha' tup ret}, literally "two minute time-period-ago". "Two
minutes from now" is {cha' tup pIq}. (It is also possible, though not
necessary, to use the plural suffixes with the time units if there is more
than one of them: {cha' tupmey ret}, {cha' tupmey pIq}.) The words {ret}
and {pIq} could also be used with days, months, and years (e.g., {wej jaj
ret} "three days ago", rather than {wejHu'}, but utterances of these are
not particularly common, sound a bit archaic, and are usually restricted to
rather formal settings. With longer time periods, such as a century ({vatlh
DIS poH}), or a period of 10,000 years ("myriad", perhaps) ({netlh DIS
poH}), the words {ret} or {pIq} may be used in place of {poH}, e.g., {cha'
vatlh DIS poH} "two centuries", but {cha' vatlh DIS ret} "two centuries
ago". The phrase {cha' vatlh ben} would mean "200 years ago". The choice of
construction depends on what is being emphasized: in this case, the total
number of centuries (two) or the total number of years (200).
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons