tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed May 10 11:13:26 1995

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Re: what (question)

Jim Boniface wrote:
> Is there a way in klingon to use the word "what" not so much as a question?  

Here's a general formula for figuring out how to say something that you're
having difficulty translating:  Assume that your next-door neighbor tells
you he doesn't understand what you said, and try to explain what you mean
in other words.

> Tell your childer not to hear my words
> what they mean
> what they say

The english word "what" is a very versatile one.  It has many meanings.
Once you decide which one you want to use, it's usually much easier to
produce a translation that others can understand.  

David E G Sturm suggested:
>You tell your children:
>Don't listen to my words;
>They possess nothing. (i.e. they mean nothing)
>They say nothing.

Jim Boniface responded:
>[...] that's not the meaning behind the words of the lyrics. 

So what IS the meaning?  "what they mean" is not a well-formed sentence
in english.  Does it refer to "the words' meaning"?  What does "what
they say" mean?  Since the original is ambiguous, I'm not at all
surprised that you're having problems translating it.  Again, figure
out what you want to say first.  THEN figure out how to say it.

> Second, I've been reading the TDK over and over again (even
> here at work when I get time) sorry I'm not catching on as quick as you did.

Reading it won't help you improve any quicker; translating english to Klingon
alone isn't going to help much either.  I suggest you spend some serious time
translating Klingon to english.  I think you will learn the vocabulary rather
quickly, since it's a major hassle to constantly look through the dictionary.
More important, you may get a "feel" for the grammar.  Seeing the language in
use made a big difference in how confident I felt about being able to use it.

> I know it's not a 1-1 thing, but I thought I might be missing something as
> far as using "what" as a non-question.

What's missing is the intended meaning of how you're using the word "what."

> third, CHILL THE **** OUT [...]

I didn't see anything in David's note that called for this sort of response.
He complained about a general category of requests which don't seem to take
the grammar into account, then made reasonable suggestions.  A bit of your
own advice would seem to be in order.

-- ghunchu'wI'

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