tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Nov 21 08:46:18 2006
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
Re: Dilbert Comic in Klingon for November 1
On 11/17/06, Steven Boozer <[email protected]> wrote:
> Okrand on {tlhob}:
>
> What I wanted to do with {tlhob} and {ghel} is to distinguish
> between two different meanings for the English verb "ask".
> There are two ask's. There's the "ask" where you ask a question
> and there's "ask" where you make a request. I wanted it to be
> two different verbs, though apparently there are times when the
> "request" verb is used to ask a question as well. So maybe the
> way it works is that {ghel} can ask a question and only as a
> question and the other one can mean that and is also used to
> request or plead or something like that. (HolQeD 7:4)
I understand now. BTW is this parallel to the two verbs {ja'} "say"
and {jatlh} "say, speak", in that {ja'} means to say or tell something
and only that, whereas {jatlh} can mean the same thing and can
also mean to speak a language?
pm5
> So the answer to your question is that both versions can be correct
> depending on what you want to say:
>
> DaQaH 'e' lutlhob.
> They ask that you help them. They ask you to help them.
>
> <<DaQaH>> tlhob.
> "Help them," they requested. They ask, "Help them."
>
> As always, the right punctuation can be helpful.
But if using quotations isn't it "help us" that they should have said?
{<juQaH> tlhob.} "Help us," they/it requested".
While I understand that collective noun should be singular in Klingon,
it still seems very weird for me if the marketing department was
saying {choQaH}. I would rather choose the other version when the
subject is a group of people to avoid this problem.
pm5