tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Nov 18 08:10:02 2011
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Re: [Tlhingan-hol] Use of -'e' with relative clauses
Philip:
> Not mentioned in TKD, but proposed in usage and (as far as I know)
> subsequently made official, is the ability to disambiguate which
> constituent(?) of the sentence you are relativising, by using -'e'.
> For example, {yaS qIppu'bogh puq} could mean either "The child who hit
> the officer" or "The officer whom the child hit", and you can
> disambiguate with {yaS qIppu'bogh puq'e'} for the first meaning and
> {yaS'e' qIppu'bogh puq}.
>
> Is this use of -'e' mandatory in such a case (where both subject and
> object are represented by nouns)?
> If not, is the use of -'e' as a topicaliser still possible?
> [....]
> My understanding is that -'e' as disambiguator is optional in ta' Hol,
> and I would expect that pragmatics and context would make it clear
> that I mean "the pictures that David took" rather than "the
> non-language-using Davids that took the pictures" if I did use the
> -'e' on {De'vID'e'} -- that is, that I was leaving off the optional
> disambiguator and instead using topicalising {-'e'}. (Though it might
> initially be garden-pathed, à la "The horse raced past the barn fell"
> -- so maybe worth avoiding.)
To get the discussion started, here are the examples I have with {-'e'} used (or not used!) as a disambiguator in relative clauses:
loghDaq Suvrupbogh SuvwI'pu' chaH Hoch SuvwI'pu''e'
In space, all warriors are cold warriors ("warriors who are ready to fight"). TKW
butlh ghajbogh nuv'e' yIHo'
Admire the person with dirt under his fingernails.TKW
nobmey qembogh yIrIDnganpu''e' yIvoqQo'
Don't trust Yridians who bring gifts. TKW
Huch nobHa'bogh verenganpu''e' yIvoqQo'
Don't trust Ferengi who give back money. TKW
tajwIj 'oHbe' chorlIj jeqbogh Dochvetlh'e'
That is not my dagger protruding from your midsection. FTG
yIntaHvIS qeylIS'e' lIjlaHbe'bogh vay' batlh 'etlhvam chenmoHlu'pu'
this sword of honor descends from the time of Kahless the Unforgettable. S8
qorDu'Daj tuq 'oS Ha'quj'e' tuQbogh wo'rIv
The sash that Worf wears is a symbol of his family's house. S20
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons
> -----Original Message-----
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