tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Oct 07 23:53:46 1993
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Re: wot 'oH'a' <'ar>'e'
- From: Captain Krankor <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: wot 'oH'a' <'ar>'e'
- Date: Fri, 8 Oct 93 02:52:46 -0400
>Look carefully at the words {puS} and {law'}. They are both verbs.
>So, I guess you could say {Supu 'ej malaw'} and mean something
>roughly close to, "We outnumber you (all)!" Well, now look carefully
>at the question word {'ar}. It is governed by basically the same rules
>as {puS} and {law'}. Why couldn't you say {Su'ar} for, "How many of
>you are there?"
>
>In other words, is {'ar} really a verb. There's no way of telling for
>absolute sure. None of the Klingon question words are labeled as
>specific parts of speech other than "question words." Nevertheless,
>we can safely conclude that {nuq} and {'Iv} are nouns, {qatlh} and
>{chay'} are adverbials, and {ghorgh} is some sort of time element
>which might be an adverbial or a noun (read 6.7 of addendum in TKD--
>nouns used as time elements function as adverbials).
No. We absolutely cannot safely conclude that nuq and 'Iv are nouns
or any of the rest. The question words *are* labeled as specific
parts of speech: they are chuvmey. Indeed, as I've written in
HolQeD, the nuq and 'Iv have very interesting chuvmey natures.
So it really doesn't follow to me that 'ar is in any way a verb. I
think that's *really* a reach. I would do "How many of you are
there" as tlhIH 'ar tu'lu'? Or, weirdly enough, given the
interesting discussion about whether 'ar noun phrases are
grammatically singular or plural, once might even make a case for
SoH 'ar tu'lu'. {{:-) (*I* probably wouldn't choose this, but hey :)
--Krankor