tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Aug 18 20:07:06 1996
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Re: Klingon CD
- From: "William H. Martin" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: Klingon CD
- Date: Sun, 18 Aug 1996 23:06:45 -0400 ()
- Priority: NORMAL
On Sat, 3 Aug 1996 09:05:56 -0700 Dave Yeung
<[email protected]> wrote:
> On Wed, 31 Jul 1996,
Will Martin wrote:
>
> > romuluSngan Sambogh 'ej HoHbogh nejwI'
>
> But doesn't this mean a probe that hunts and kills Romulans? Or does
> that depend on context?
Good point. I think the wording is quite odd, but it is from Okrand and I can see how he
came up with it. It is a noun-noun construction with {romulusngan-nejwI'} as the pair, and
{nejwI'} is described by the relative clauses {Sambogh 'ej HoHbogh nejwI'}. A probe which
seeks and kills. A Romulan probe which seeks and kills. Given the current use of the
language, I'd expect your interpretation to have been written: {romuluSngan Sambogh 'ej
HoHbogh nejwI''e'}, since the head noun is the probe, not the Romulan.
Okrand didn't need to indicate the head noun with his version because {Romulusngan} is not
the object of the two verbs. It is instead the possessor of the noun-noun construction, so
only the subject of the verbs could be the head noun and there's no need to disambiguate
with the {-'e'} suffix.
> > Also, did anyone else notice the pun in the name for the
> > lengthy poem to honor the aging soldier? gha'tlhIq.
>
> Ummm... "a graphic description" 'oH'a'? That's the closest I can think
> of, what is the pun?
As you've probably seen by now, I see it as a pun on "Gothic", as in a "Gothic poem". Was I
really the only person who "got it"?
> ----------
> dave yeung
> {toD Duj 'oH toDuj'e'}
> Courage is a ship to the rescue
charghwI'