tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Oct 10 08:59:45 2004

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Re: -be'lu' vs. -lu'be'

idstewart ([email protected])



[email protected] wrote:

>Here are the examples I found in canon of {-be'lu'} (8 occurrences) vs. 
>{-lu'be'} (1 occurrence).  I suspect that {-be'lu'} is more common because it more 
>clearly negates the verb it is attached to, whereas in {-lu'be'},  the {-be'} 
>may be negating the bare suffix {-lu'}, which doesn't make much sense to me, 
>or it could be negating the whole verb complex (including {-lu'}) that precedes 
>the {-be'}. 
>
[examples snipped]

In many of the terran languages I have studied (most notably German and 
Scots Gaelic), there are two ways to express a negative statement.  The 
first is a positive assertion of a negative fact (I am [not old]).  The 
second is a negative assertion of a positive fact (I [am not] old).

Perhaps -be'lu' and -lu'be' is the tlhIngan equivelant?

Just a thought...

'yen






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