tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Oct 25 08:57:23 2006
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Re: Dilbert Comic in Klingon for 2006/10/21
- From: McArdle <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: Dilbert Comic in Klingon for 2006/10/21
- Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 08:56:59 -0700 (PDT)
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- In-reply-to: <[email protected]>
Steven Boozer <[email protected]> wrote:
>pm5 wrote:
>
>>DIlbot: {naDev yIqem. naDev yIqemqu'.} (2)
>>Dilbert: "Bring ... the mouse ... bring the ... mouse."
>
>"Here" is not in the original. Did you add it for the meter?
>
>Translating literally, you can either omit {naDev}:
>
>MOUSE ... yIqem.
>Bring ... the mouse.
>
>or you can use the "prefix trick":
>
>MOUSE ... HIqem.
>Bring me ... the mouse.
Ah, the prefix trick. I must say this aspect of the language really threw me for a loop when I encountered it (entirely without explanation, IIRC) in the second lesson of the postal course ({qaghItlh DaneH}). Something deep inside me insists it's wrong, which is probably because I haven't studied Native American pronoun systems (/wiki/index.php?verb%20prefix%20trick).
Now, since the prefix trick is canonical, I realize that I have no valid objection to its use, gut reaction or no gut reaction. However, I'd be interested in knowing whether it's considered wrong (or unidiomatic) to eschew it in favor of the dative suffix. For example, if I said {jiHvaD Qa'Hom yIqem} for "bring me the mouse," would a Klingon (a) cry foul, (b) laugh uproariously, or (c) bring me a Qa'Hom? (I suppose I should add "(d) kill me where I stand.")
Qapla'
McA
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