tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Dec 15 21:08:10 1995

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Re: [What, me worry?]




On Thu, 14 Dec 1995, David Wood wrote:

> [email protected] (Alan Anderson) ghitlhwI'
> 
> >David Wood writes:
> >>...The TKD doesn't have words for "to fear," "to worry," or "to be afraid."
> 
> > Try the verb {Haj} "dread".  The verb suffix {-vIp} indicates fear also.
> > There's also the noun {rejmorgh} "worrywort".  We have many tools!
> 
>      The -vip suffix modifies another verb, so it's very hard to use by itself.
>      Or IS it? There's no standalone word {vIp} in the dictionary, so it COULD 
> be argued, however weakly, that {vIp} could be made a word by itself. But I 
> digress.

You can't use {-vIp} by itself but if you needed a generic verb to attach 
to it, you could probably use {ruch} as in {ruchvIp} (he/she is afraid to 
do it.)  Note that Type 2 suffixes such as {-vIp} indicate the 
disposition or willingness of the subject to performing an action; so {-vIp} 
really indicates that the subject has a reluctance or aversion to doing 
something.  It does not really mean "afraid" in the sense of being 
frightened, scared or terrified.  For that meaning, {ghIj} or {Haj} is a 
better choice, e.g. {ghIjlu'taH.} (he/she is scared.)
{ghaH ghIj targh.} (The targ scares him/her; "He/she is afraid of the targ.")

>      I did finally come up with something else for "What, me worry?" It's 
> longer, but it rolls trippingly (or is that trips rollingly?) off the tongue:
> 
>      rejmorgh SaHlaHbe'(bej)    The worryworts (definitely) couldn't care.

Since {rejmorgh} is the subject of the verb, so it needs to come after 
{SaHlaHbe'bej}.

>      Joe Steger's was indeed the simplest it could be, and for that reason I 
> considered not posting this. I AM posting this becuase I wanted to stick the 
> adverb for "even" in mine somewhere (as in "even cowgirls get the blues," or 
> "even barbarians like chocolate chip cookies," or the "not even a mouse" from "A
> Visit From St. Nick"), but I couldn't find a reasonable substitute.
>      What would the Klingon equivalent of the "even" construction be, or did the
> {bej} in there pick it up?

The conjuction {je} can mean "also" or "too" , which is fairly close.

I don't think {-bej} is a good substitute for "even".

>      ngaSwi' gharghmey chu' jIpoSmoH. wejpuH.

This should be {gharghmey ngaSwI' chu'}.

yoDtargh



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