tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Dec 20 10:26:40 1995

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Re: Klingons conquer Worlds Chat (sort of...)

On 20 Dec 95 at 8:15, Mark E. Shoulson <[email protected]> wrote:

I wrote:
> >> >cyber sex: nga'chuqqoq
> >>
> >> Isn't nga'chuq a verb?
> >Uh, it says in HolQeD 1:3 "sex (i.e., perform sex; always SUBJECT)"
> >my emphasis. I don't see how a verb could be the subject of a
> >sentance. HOWEVER, since it clearly has a verbal suffix on it and
> >4:2:9 says "verbs ending in suffixes... can never be nouns" it's a
> >bit hinky. Since we have ngagh (v) then I don't think we need
> >nga'chuq as a verb too.
> 
> I don't really agree.  Bear in mind that "ngagh" came out much after
> nga'chuq.  Look at the definition of nga'chuq: "i.e. perform sex". 
> Plainly a *verbal* definition.  You would never define a noun by
> explaining that it means "to perform" something.  I interpret the
> "always subject" comment to mean that the actors involved must
> always be the subjects of the verb, not one the subject and one the
> object (to emphasize what should be plain from the "-chuq" suffix). 
> That is, to say that Maltz has sex with Mara, I need to say
> "nga'chuq matlh mara je", and not make one the subject and the other
> the object (or object of a preposition as in English).  It would be
> very strange if it meant that "nga'chuq" was a noun that could never
> be an object.  How could you say "he enjoyed nga'chuq", etc?  The
> only similar thing is the pronoun 'e', which can only be an
> object... but that's a pronoun/chuvmey, not a noun.
 
Now I see where you are coming from. I believe I also may have found 
the source of my confusion. In HolQeD 3:2 page 13 Jonathan Van Hoose 
asked how to use nga'chuq in a sentence since it must always be the 
subject. He went on to say he had never seen a verb that would fit 
that construction. I now see that both Jon and I were mistaken. Your 
take on the word is much clearer. However, that does leave us without 
a noun for sex...

> ~mark

                                            maSqa'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    "Had I not known that I was dead already, 
    I would have mourned the loss of my life"
              -Ota Dokan, Japanese poet
 (written while a knife protruded from his chest)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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