tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Jan 28 11:46:33 2004
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Re: taghwI' jIH
> chepqu' wrote:
> >> Hov ghajbe'bogh ram rur pegh ghajbe'bogh jaj!
> >
> > I think I heard this proverb in the Power Klingon tape, but I didn't
> > recognize it until I translated it. I understand that this is a
> > proverb, so the wording is already standard; but I find it confusing.
> > I understand
> > that -bogh is translated as who, whom, that, or which depending on
> > how it is used. If I understand it well (I'm not sure), the part
> > {pegh ghajbe'bogh jaj} translates to "a day which has no secret", but
> > also can translate as "a secret which has no day". Likewise, {Hov
> > ghajbe'bogh ram} translates to "a night that has no star", but also
> > can translate as "a star which has no night".
>
> Nope. That would be reversing the subject and object, and {-bogh} can't
do
> that.
Duh, my fault.
> But there is ambiguity. The other possible meanings are: "A secret which
a
> day doesn't have" and "A star which a night doesn't have." Subjects and
> objects (in Klingon) haven't changed; a day still doesn't have a secret
and
> a night still doesn't have a star. It's just a question of focus.
That's what I meant.
> {puq qIpbogh yaS}
> The officer who hit the child.
> The child who was hit by the officer.
>
> In both cases, the officer is hitting the child.
>
> > I once read something
> > on a HolQeD about those ambiguities and how to solve them,
>
> You use {-'e'} on the noun which is the focus of the clause.
>
> {puq qIpbogh yaS'e'}
> The officer who hit the child
>
> {puq'e' qIpbogh yaS}
> The child who was hit by the officer.
>
> > but this
> > proverb does seem ambiguous ("a secret which has no day resembles a
> > star which has no night"). Am I missing something about this proverb?
>
> Does it make sense now?
The {-'e'} sufix is what I suspected was missing on the proverb, but as I'm
still a beginner, I cannot be completely sure on those things. So I ask as
if I'm a complete ignorant in order to get a full explanation.
Thanks
chepqu' ne'