tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Nov 10 14:18:14 1995
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Re: help!
- From: [email protected] (Alan Anderson)
- Subject: Re: help!
- Date: Fri, 10 Nov 1995 17:18:18 -0500
[I sent this yesterday, but I haven't seen it echoed by the server,
and it didn't show up in the digest, so I must assume it got lost.
I will send it again, although charghwI' already answered you well.]
Qogh writes:
>SuvwI'pu' law' yaymeybogh Qaw'moHlu' QamtaH ghaHDaq.
"In/on him is standing one causes to destroy which victories many warriors."
This has problems on many levels.
First, {yay} is a noun. You have correctly given it the noun suffix
{-mey}, but {-bogh} is a verb suffix (see TKD section 4.2.9). The
collection of parts {*yaymeybogh} yields nonsense.
Second, there are apparently two main verbs without a conjunction.
This is normally not permitted; where it does occur, it can usually
be translated as a separate sentence for each verb (see {rIntaH} in
TKD section 4.2.7 and {qar'a'} in section 6.4 of the Addendum).
Third, the locative suffix {-Daq} indicates where an action takes
place, and should normally appear at the beginning of the Klingon
sentence. (This isn't given as a rule in TKD, but the examples we
have follow this pattern.) The only things that belong at the end
of a Klingon sentence are subjects.
It's hard to read through the other problems, so I'm not sure, but
I think the word order is backwards. Remember, Klingon sentences
are written in the order OBJECT-VERB-SUBJECT (see TKD section 6.1).
Your attempted sentence seems to have {SuvwI'pu' law'} as object,
and {ghaHDaq} as subject, with a cornucopia of verbs.
You have created a set of words that I cannot understand. There is
too much wrong with it for me to help you fix it. Actually, I think
it should be discarded entirely for the time being. Practice a bit
more with simpler sentences first, and when you have gotten a better
grasp of the grammar you can try again. If you're impatient, you
can tell us in English what you are trying to say, but I encourage
you to work on "easier" ideas before you do.
-- ghunchu'wI' batlh Suvchugh vaj batlh SovchoH vaj