tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Mar 03 05:01:05 2014

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Re: [Tlhingan-hol] before now

David Trimboli ([email protected]) [KLI Member] [Hol po'wI']



On 3/3/2014 4:36 AM, De'vID wrote:
De'vID:
     How would you express "before now"? "I haven't done
this (e.g., written a manuscript) before now."

     {ret not ghItlh vIqon}? Can {ret} be used by itself as
a time stamp, and can it precede an adverbial {not}?

SuStel:
      wej vIta'pu'.
      wej ghItlh vIqonpu'

It doesn't quite have the same sense or emphasis, though. {wej} "not
yet" connotes a sense of anticipation that "not before now" does not.

"I haven't yet done it" suggests that the speaker intends to do it,
but hasn't yet. But "I haven't done it before now" implies nothing
either way - perhaps the speaker intends to do it, but perhaps not.

Grumble, grumble. Then just say {vIta'pu'be'} or {vIta'be'pu'} (whichever you agree with) "I haven't done it. The "before now" will nearly always be understood. Naturally, if you say such a thing, you mean you haven't done it up to now, but you're not saying anything about the future.

--
SuStel
http://www.trimboli.name/

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