tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Oct 18 07:14:32 1994
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Re: -vaD
>From: [email protected]
>Date: Mon, 17 Oct 1994 16:21:17 EST
>I'm a little at a loss when it comes to -vaD. If you want to say:
> "I give him it (I give it to him)", would you say:
>hypothetical ---> ghaHvaD vInob.
> or
>hypothetical ---> ghaH vInob.
> My gut feeling is that only the first one is correct, and the second one
>is totally ungrammatical and should not even be given the space that it's
>getting right now.
The second isn't ungrammatical.... but it doesn't mean what you want.
You've simply supplied the object of "nob" as a pronoun (which is usually
optional), and have no indirect object. So it means "I gave him/her,"
perhaps to someone else, much as "'oH vInob" is just a wordier way of
saying "I gave it". To say "I gave it to him," yes, you'd need the -vaD.
> Along similar lines, how would you render the following:
>I speak to him.
Either ghaHvaD jIjatlh or vIjatlh. The distinction between direct and
indirect objects is blurred in Klingon; if you only have an indirect object
you can put it in the object place. Then again, unless it really is a
one-sided conversation, I'm trying to teach myself to use "majatlhchuq ghaH
jIH je" for such things.
>I'm talking to you.
SoHvaD jIjatlh or qajatlh (or tlhIHvaD jIjatlh/ Sajatlh). Some like to use
"qajatlh" as a greeting, since "nuqneH" sometimes sounds funny if it's not
a response.
>John speaks to the captain.
HoDvaD jatlh "John", or jatlhchuq HoD "John" je. I suppose HoD jatlh John
would work, but it would be very likely to be confused for "John said "The
captain"".
>William
~mark