tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Mar 15 02:55:51 1994

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KLBC: Spring Break

>From: "trI'Qal" <[email protected]>
>Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 15:13:04 -0400 (EDT)


>*Beginner*

>...Paulvo':


>>DaH poH'a' vIghajmo' jIghIQlaH 'ach jIneHqu'nISmo' jIghIQQo'
>>qaD 'oHpu' mughta'ghach'e'


>I think Qanqor already answered this, so if he already mentioned anything I 
>say here, just ignore me. {{:)

>This was a nice attempt, but it has a few ewrrors in it.  First is the use of 
>the suffix -Qo' on a non-imperative verb.  You can't do that.  If you want to 
>say "never", but in a non-imperative/command sense, use <not>.  That is what 
>it is there for.  Also, the second part of the first sentence reads (ignoring 
>the error with -Qo') "I never take a vacation because I need to WANT.  The 
>verb for to work is <vum>.  So your first sentence should be:

>   DaH poH'a' vIghajmo' jIghIQlaH 'ach jIvumqu'nISmo' not jIghIQ

I'm sorry, trI'Qal, I think you dropped the ball again here.  (And I think
she's off-net for a few days so can't defend herself right away; sorry.
But it's my job to correct these things).  "-Qo'" *CAN* be used on
non-imperatives.  It's not just the imperative version of "-be'".  It
indicates not just failure to be true, but someone's *refusal* to do
something.  Canonical example: choja'Qo'chugh, Sect 4.3, "If you won't tell
me, if you refuse to tell me".  I used "SopQo'ghach" to indicate a fast
once (the act/habit of not eating), since fasting isn't just not eating but
a voluntary refusal to eat (later changed to a verbalized form. btw).  The
sentence here means "I won't take vacations because..." (as opposed to "I
don't take vacations"), i.e. I refuse to take them, it's more than just a
statement that I wind up not taking them.  "not" works okay too, but it is
*NOT* incorrect to have "-Qo'" on a non-imperative.


>--HoD trI'Qal




~mark

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