tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sat Dec 07 11:48:48 1996

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RE: KLBC: tentative attempts



December 06, 1996 2:21 PM, jatlh Philippe Lavallee:

> nuqneH

What do I want?  I want people to stop beginning their messages by asking me 
what I want!  {{:-D

> How bad do those sound?:

rejmorgh yIDaQo'!

> E: Hillfort
> K: HuD Dungdaq ba'wI'
> (thing wich sits at the area above the hill)

Well, grammatically this works, although I'd have no idea you were talking 
about a fort.  I mean, if out of the blue I came up to you and told you "We 
can meet some other warriors at the thing which sits above the hill," you'd 
look at me as if I were a Ferengi!

Depending on what purpose this fort served, exactly, I might just use the word 
{raQ}.  If I meant a camp on a specific hill, I might say {HuD raQ} "hill's 
camp."

Is this what you mean?

> E: Geyser
> K: yav Dungdaq ngeH SeSwI'
> (thing wich sends steam at the area above the ground)

Well, {SeS} is a noun, not a verb, so {SeSwI'} must mean "my steam capable of 
using language."

There simply is no easy word for geyser.  If I wanted to describe one, I might 
say:

bIQ Hal tuj
hot water source

SeS Hal
steam source

You could include the concept of coming out of the ground in the context of 
whatever it is you are saying.

> E: Lava-field
> K: qul tetpu' yotlh
> (fire-melted field)

{tet} is "melt," not "be melted," and so you cannot use it as an adjective.  
Has {tet} been used in canon (anyone know)?  Does {tet Doch} mean "The thing 
melts" or "The thing melts something"?  There's quite a bit of difference.

I really don't know of an easy way to say "lava field," besides describing 
one.  {qul yotlh} might work in context   You could describe: {yotlhDaq 
tetpu'bogh nagh lutu'lu'} "There are melted rocks on the field."  You've got 
to come up with the most appropriate description you can.

> E: Glacier
> K: QIt HeDwI' 'ej taDmoHtaH
> (thing wich slowly retreats and is continuously frozen)

{QIt HeDwI'} is an incomplete sentence.  "Slowly retreater."  {taDmoHtaH} 
means "It continuously freezes (something)."  Neither of these is what you are 
looking for.

In fact, I doubt that the phrase on its own would make me think of a glacier.  
Once more, you'll have to rely on the context of what you're saying.  By 
analogy with {bIQ} and {bIQ'a'}, one *might* expect "glacier" to be 
{chuch'a'}, but THAT IS JUST A SPECULATION!!!!

> E: Smithy
> K: baS tetlI' 'ej bogh nuHmey rintaH pa'
> (room where metal is being melted and weapons are forever born)

I read your sentence as "He is melting the metal and weapons are born the room 
remains finished."

({rIntaH} is used as a stronger version of {-ta'}, not {-taH}.)

You'll do so much better at this when you stop trying to substitute all of 
these words or phrases in for English words or phrases.  Just restate it in 
Klingon, in conplete sentences!

That said, there still is a possibility for the place one would go to for 
this:  {nuH chenmoHmeH pa'} "Room for making weapons."  At least, that's the 
most *Klingon* description for one.  If other things are being made, pick a 
more appropriate word instead of {nuH}.

> P.S. Please do not attempt a suicide! 
> And spare the life of a inconsequencial puq!

nuqjatlh?

-- 
SuStel
Beginners' Grammarian
Stardate 96935.6


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