tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu May 26 05:51:22 1994

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more on stylistics

I've finally come to the conclusion that I'm not going to put up with it any
longer. I'm going to have to say something before I explode.

(ghItlhvam vIghItlhmeH tlhIngan Hol'e' vIlo'pu'be'mo' jItlhIj
'a vay'vaD mu'ghompaqwIj vI[loan?]ta'
loQ puS mu' vISovbogh - qay'ba' ghu'vam'e')

I'm at somewhat of a handicap without my KD at the moment. I'm hoping to
start my own annotated KD complete with all words and all canonical
constructions. I've also got plans for my own QBasic program (the only
programming language in which I have any competence at all) that teaches
Klingon vocabulary.

Getting to the point (something I *rarely* have trouble with!!) I would like
to point out two particular constructions that have annoyed me thoroughly
since I first encountered them.

1) {...'e' Qub} : "I think that..."
This is extremely idiomatic to English and a few related languages, am I
right? A much more acceptable way to render this would be {-law'}. TKD *says*
{-law'} is used to mean "I think" or "I suspect". The verb {Qub} is probably
closer to describing cranial activity. My usage of {Qub} would follow "think
*about*".

{tlheDlaw'pu'}  "I think she has left."

2) {...'e' vItul} : "I hope that..."
This bothers me not because I find it idomatic to the wrong language, but
because {-jaj} expresses this so much more effectively and efficiently. Of
course, (doubting I need to say this:), just because the optative mood is
more often rendered with the verb "hope" in English does not mean anything as
far as Klingon goes.

{DaHjaj SISjaj}  "I hope it rains today."

3) This one is just a reminder of how I feel about the usage of {Hech}. Look
it up, people; it means "intend". But even now I sometimes see something like
{<word> Hech <mu'>}. Someone (not naming any names............. like
charghwI' - altho he's certainly not the only one) mistook {Hech} to mean
"mean" as in "signify" or "symbolize". No! Look closely at this example:

{toQDujrajDaq chegh 'e' Hech HoD} "The captain intends to return to your
ship."

Do you see???!! I know Krankor doesn't use {Hech} this way (at least not
anymore). Stretching of semantic values and anglicism is not the way to go.
Altho many people will knowingly use an anglicized phrase, but refuse to work
it out a more Klingonistic way. The very same people who abuse {Hech}, just
because it suits them, will turn right around and shake an accusing finger at
Proechel for using {pong} the way he does.

Having said all that, let me douse this flame myself before it spreads. To
prove that this posting has a good side, I'll site one excellent example of
recasting by Nick:

{reH chIch qaD vIqImHa'laHbe'}  Stylistically: "I can't resist a challenge."

The English version here is somewhat idiomatic and not easily expressed
literally by the currently known lexicon and grammar. But there was a way
around it. Nick found it. More and more I myself am coming to realize that
Hol is not as inexpressive as it's cracked up to be, and that total recasting
is the way to go.

Obviously I don't wish to downgrade in any way people like charghwI', who is
an excellent grammatical recastor, but could use a whole lot of work as far
as vocabulary. Maybe with a larger working vocabulary people like him
wouldn't feel such an unwillingness to let go of that familiar English way.

Still, Nick, you might tone it down just a bit. Some might say, tone it down
a lot.

Finally: As I have a bit of notoriety concerning my peeve about there being
no SASs, well, I've come to accept that as my brain's little way of clinging
to English. Otherwise there's very little doubt that Klingon probably does
quite well without any SAS.


Guido#1, Leader of All Guidos

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