tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Jan 28 01:32:44 1994
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Re: Translation help!
- From: Will Martin <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: Translation help!
- Date: Fri, 28 Jan 94 13:56:38 EST
On Jan 28, 1:28pm, "Matt Gomes" wrote:
> Subject: Re: Translation help!
...
> Hov Doq cha' Maug tIn
>
> Right? Now... if I'm trying to quickly understand written (let's not even
> get into what happens if I *hear* this tidbit), how could I quickly figure
> out which of the three "verbs" in this sentence is the actual verb?
>
> Am I just being difficult, or what?
>
> Qapla'!
>
> -mat (on his journey of a thousand throats.. uhh.. steps!)
No, you are not just being difficult. You are confused and you want
help. I'll offer a non-linguist's perspective. I read that sentence as:
Big Maug shows/displays the red star.
Admittedly, I do not have my TKD with me, but that's how it looks to me.
I would have to go out of my way to read it any other way. The reason you can
identify the difference between the adjectives and the verb (even while
listening, so we take it left to right) is that {Doq} cannot sensibly take an
object, yet there we have {Hov} in position of either the object of the verb
{Doq} or the noun modified by the adjective {Doq}. The first option is
senseless. The second option makes immediate sense.
The verb {cha'} has both a subject and an object and it is the kind of
verb that makes total sense when used this way.
The verb {tIn} follows the subject of {cha'}, so either Maug is the
object of {tIn}, which is both senseless, AND creates complications with the
verb {cha'}, or it is an adjective modifying Maug, which makes a LOT more
sense.
The linguists will get an adrenlin rush when they read that I said "it
is an adjective...". They will point out that Klingon has no adjectives. It
has verbs that are used adjectivally.
Picky, picky, picky. If it helps you to think of {tIn} as an adjective,
then please be helped. It can serve as a verb or as an adjective. The
difference in function is positional. This is the key to this area of Klingon
grammar. There are also restrictions on available suffixes on verbs when they
are being used adjectivally. TKD says only that {-qu'} is available. Okrand
then uses {-be'} on a verb being used adjectivally in PK (or was it CK?).
Almost certainly, every other verbal suffix is not okay to use on verbs when
they are being used adjectivally. Prefixes are probably also not acceptable
on adjectival verbs, though I've seen it done on this list.
charghwI'