tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Jul 19 09:38:00 2006
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Re: KLBC: "in life"
qa'pIn qI'meQ wrote:
> >> "the best things in life aren't things"
> >> Dochmey yInDaq QaQ'a', Dochmeybe' 'e'
ter'eS BG:
> >Here's how I would translate that phrase, and why:
> >
> > {yIn'e' Dochmey nIv bIHbe' Dochmey'e'}
> >
> >{Dochmey'e'}: 'things'. The suffix {-'e'} is used
> >automatically to mark the subject of an equational
> >sentence. This is the same suffix as on {yIn},
> >but in the first case, is marking an adverbial
> >comment ('as for life') and here is just marking
> >the subject.
Voragh:
>>Since the second {-'e'} is required on the subject of an equational
>>sentence, we're back to recasting the "in life" bit again. I would use the
>>verb {yIn} "live, be alive" plus {-taHvIS} in an introductory
>>clause: {bIyIntaHvIS} "while you are living, when you are alive":
>>
>> bIyIntaHvIS Dochmey nIv bIHbe' Dochmey'e'
ter'eS BG:
> >Or, if you want to keep the quote more impersonal and gnomic
> >{yIn buSlu'taHvIS} "while life is being considered..."
Voragh:
>>Or even more so, just {yInlu'taHvIS} "while (one is) living". Examples:
lay'tel SIvten:
>Or simply {yIn Dochmey nIv} - the best things OF life
>which preserves the vagueness of the original noun phrase in English.
All good suggestions. But I just realized that "the best things in life"
is the subject of the sentence, not the predicate. Combining suggestions
we have:
yInlu'taHvIS Dochmey bIHbe' Dochmey'e' nIv
Dochmey bIHbe' yIn Dochmey'e' nIv
If you want something a bit more "gnomic" you could drop the redundant
plural suffixes:
yInlu'taHvIS Dochmey bIHbe' Doch'e' nIv
Dochmey bIHbe' yIn Doch'e' nIv
And adding {-na'} "definite, definitely, no doubt, real" helps nail down
the point:
yInlu'taHvIS Dochna'mey bIHbe' Doch'e' nIv
Dochna' bIHbe' yIn Doch'e' nIv
("the best things in life aren't actually things")
("the best things in life aren't things per se")
Hmm... Now I'm confused about the placement of {-'e'} with qualities. TKD
(p.50) reads:
If a Type 5 noun suffix is used (section 3.3.5), it follows
the verb, which, when used to modify the noun in this way,
can have no other suffix except the rover {-qu'} "emphatic".
The Type 5 noun suffix follows {-qu'} ... {veng tInqu'Daq}
"in the very big city."
Placing the suffix after the quality this way tags the whole noun phrase.
So should these then read:
?yInlu'taHvIS Dochna'mey bIHbe' Doch nIv'e'
?Dochna'mey bIHbe' yIn Doch nIv'e'
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons