tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sat Apr 13 11:59:09 1996
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Re: "Qo'noS ta'puq, Hamlet lotlut. lut 'ay' wa', lut 'ay'Hom
- From: Jarno Peschier <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: "Qo'noS ta'puq, Hamlet lotlut. lut 'ay' wa', lut 'ay'Hom
- Date: Sat, 13 Apr 1996 20:59:34 -0100
At 13:28 8-04-96 -0700, you wrote:
>> ghItlh peSHIr:
>> >DaHjaj pawpu' paqna' chovnatlhwIj 'e' vIparHa'qu'.
>>
>> paqwIj je vIHevpu' 'ej jIQuch jIH je. rap qechwIj 'ach puj pabvam.
>>
>> By using the verb suffix {-pu'} on the verb {paw}, you imply that the
>> book had already arrived when "today" occured. Its arrival appears to
>> be complete at the time the events in the rest of the sentence occur.
>
>While I agree that {-pu'} is often overused, sometimes I think
>your watchdog-like loyalty to the ideal of extinguishing the
>overuse of {-pu'} is too easily triggered. If he meant, "My
>book arrived today," then he should not have used {-pu'}. If he
>meant, "My book has arrived today," then {-pu'} was perfectly
>appropriate. Maybe we should just ask?
Well, for once and for all:
- The book here that morning.
- I wrote the sentence late that afternoon.
- I meant "My book has arrived [earlier] today". (=the act of arrival was
completed by the time I wrote that).
Is my use of -pu' then in error or not?
>I get around the problem by replacing the question with a
>command. chovnatlhlIj mI' HIja'. [Or, if you prefer:]
>jIHvaD chovnatlhlIj mI' yIja'.
Mmm, I guess that's the way of solving the problem how to ask for other
peoples numbers I was actually looking for. It's so simple and
Klingon-like... once you know it... :-/
Qapla'
peSHIr
Jarno Peschier, [email protected], 2:2802/245.1@Fido
162:100/100.1@Agora, 74:3108/102.1@QuaZie, 27:2331/214.1@SigNet
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What was was, before was was was? Before was was was, was was is.