tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Jul 25 01:31:24 1995
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
Re: }}} KLBC: wamwI'
- From: [email protected] (Alan Anderson)
- Subject: Re: }}} KLBC: wamwI'
- Date: Tue, 25 Jul 1995 00:31:24 -0500
Marc Ruehlaender writes:
> [regarding "preparing weapons"]
> I considered ghuS but the implied 'to launch' seemed
> to make it unsuitable here. Can you really use ghuS
> to prepare your weapons in a sense that you sharpen them,
> see that all straps are tight or whatever?
Now you're getting the idea! These phrases are much less ambiguous.
Perhaps they could add some spice to the story. Instead of blandly saying
"he prepared his weapons", you might say {betleHDaj jejmoH wamwI' 'ej
Qeychu' qoghmey 'e' tob ghaH}. Since you felt the need to explain to us
what you meant by "ready" in English, I believe it is reasonable to explain
it in {tlhIngan Hol} as well.
> ...so V-laH can (!) mean
> 'subject can be verbed' or 'subject can verb',
> right?
Wrong. {lo'laH} might mean "[subject] can use [object]" or "[subject] is
useful", but so far as I can tell, this is a unique irregularity. In other
cases, {V-laH} means "[subject] can V [object]" only. It's likely that the
irregular "is useful" meaning appears because one cannot simultaneously use
{-lu} and {-laH} to mean "one can V [object]" or "[object] can be V'd".
The otherwise unused {net} is useful in this case.
jIreHmeH mu'mey vIlo' 'e' vItIvtaH.
yoDtargh DaH pabpo' mIvlIj vInIHlaw'pu'bogh vIcheghneS.
-- ghunchu'wI'