tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sat Jul 16 22:55:12 1994

Back to archive top level

To this year's listing



[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]

Re: Talk like a Klingon!



> I a recent conversation with HoD Qanqor (He was at the KLI Kling-Phling and 
> I was not),he asked me "qatlh naDev SoHbe'?"
>  
> I must point out that as far as I can tell this phrase is 
> completely gramatical but it struck me as an English Idiom because
> it makes use of the verb "to be".

Except, TKD tells us that this is precisely the manner in which we are 
to use the "to be" construction.  "To be at a place."

> I would like to propose two alternatives to "qatlh naDev SoHbe'" 
> that lack any "to be" construction (something I feel one should
> avoid in order to sound "Klingon"). My suggestions are
>
> "qatlh bISaHbe'?"

We know that we can use verbal suffixes with pronouns, but is there 
evidence that we can do so when the pronoun is NOT used in a "to be" 
construction?  By removing the component of the sentence you objected 
to, you invalidated your rephrasal.  Also, we are told that we can use 
verbal suffixes, but there's no evidence (to my knowledge) that we can 
use prefixes with pronouns.  

>    OR 
> "qatlh bIDach?"

Much more honorable.

--Holtej



Back to archive top level