tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Apr 14 09:07:41 2008
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Re: HISlaH/ghobe' with negative questions
Voragh:
> > Would Klingons answer the literal question exactly as asked (as
> > they do in Vulcan I would imagine), or would they answer the
> > implied question behind the literal form (as we do in English)?
ghunchu'wI':
>Does it matter how Klingons would answer it? Klingons wouldn't *ask*
>it. Be straightforward!
My own question was of course an indirect human question. I should have
asked, "Do Klingons ask indirect questions?"
>Avoid the problem. Ask the question directly. Don't make the other
>person have to figure out what answer you want.
Good advice. Of course, we still don't know how a Klingon would actually
answer such a question if asked by an alien, say a vacationing Terran who
hadn't studied the "Power Klingon" tape. If feeling particularly
charitable, the Klingon might respond with a simple {nuqjatlh?!} otherwise,
considering the virtue of straightforwardness, probably quite literally --
even if the question was or might be misleading... as if to say, "Don't
play those #$%& syntactic games with me!"
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons