tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Aug 18 20:39:36 1994

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Re: Direct/Indirect quotes (was: joke)



According to HoD trI'Qal:
> 
> 
> Could someone please define "direct quotes" and "indirect quotes" and 
> give a few clear examples for us interested laymen out here?  Tanks... {{:)
> 
> 
> --tQ

Direct: I told him [or I said], "YOU are big."

Indirect: I told him [or I said] that HE was big.

I put uppercase to show the words that are significantly
different were you to try to express these in Klingon. If
Klingon uses direct quotes, the proper way to express the
thought that both of the above examples convey is:

bItIn vIjatlh.

If they use INdirect quotes, I should instead say:

tIn ghaH vIjalth.

The examples Okrand gives us do not make this kind of clear
distinction because they begin with "I told you", which would
make either direct or indirect quotes use the same pronouns:

I told you, "You are big."

I told you that you are big.

See? So, lacking any examples to support either direct or
indirect quotes, we must simply agree on one of them, and most
people on this list were already running under the assumption
that Klingon used direct quotes, so I decided to go with the
flow until we hear THE WAY THINGS REALLY ARE from Okrand.

charghwI'



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