tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Oct 18 18:07:24 2004

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Re: KLBC - TV appearance

ngabwI' ([email protected]) [KLI Member] [Hol po'wI']

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Thorwald Peeters" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, October 17, 2004 12:27 PM
Subject: KLBC - TV appearance


>I will be appearing on a Dutch television program that features Star
> Trek one whole week and the Klingon language one show.
> I won't be starring it, but the person that does will end up at me in
> her search for a Klingon fan to speak with.
>
> She will probably ask me something allong the lines of {tlhIngan Hol
> Dajatlh'a'}
>
> I have thought of a basic but witty reply, and would like to make sure
> it is {Holna'}
>
> What I thought up was (and this is an inside running joke)
> I don't speak Klingon very well, but I'm willing to speak it for 
> chocolate!?
>
> Now I'll attempt to put that in Hol...
>
> {tlhIngan HolwI' pupbe'qu' 'ach yuchvaD 'e' vIjatlh}
>
> How did I fare?

OK, few mistakes, but we'll get through them...

{tlhIngan HolwI' pupbe'qu'}
I am assuming that you want this to literally be "My Klingon is not very 
perfect", qar'a'?

1. Watch your word order. The subject comes *after* the verb, not before.
2. {-be'} follows the element it negates. You want to negate the 
{-qu'}(emphatic), not the {pup}(to be perfect), qar'a'?
3. A language is not a person, so you want to use {-wIj}, not {-wI'}.

Altogether, you want this part to read:

{pupqu'be' tlhIngan HolwIj} "My Klingon language is not very perfect."

I think this needs a rework (see below).

{'ach yuchvaD 'e' vIjatlh}
Here again, I am assuming "I will speak it for chocolate"

The Klingon sounds like you're speaking *to* chocolate. I think you'll agree 
that while chocolate is good for many things, it makes a lousy 
conversationalist. }}; )

And I would drop the {'e'}. You would use this if the object was an entire 
sentence, not just a noun.

I suggest something like {yuch vIHevchugh, vIjatlh} "If I receive chocolate, 
I will speak it."


Now, the rest of this post does not concern the grammar, but rather some 
suggestions for recasting. You are free to take or leave this advice.

Instead of using {tlhIngan HolwIj}, I would definitely go with using {jatlh} 
with {-chu'be'} "not perfectly":

{tlhIngan Hol vIjatlhchu'be'} "I don't speak Klingon perfectly" (Thanks to 
Voragh, who beat me to the punch.)

and for the second part, this situation is almost perfect for the use of 
{-qang} "willing to":

{vIjatlhqangbej} "I am definitely willing to speak it."

Combined, all this comes out to:

{tlhIngan Hol vIjatlhchu'be', 'ach yuch vIHevchugh, vIjatlhqangbej}
"I do not speak Klingon perfectly, but if I receive chocolate, I am 
definitely willing to speak it."

Your gig, your choice.

--ngabwI'
Beginners' Grammarian
Klingon Language Institute
http://kli.org
HovpoH 702183.3

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