tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Dec 15 12:47:45 1996
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'e' DaDIlnIS
- From: "David Trimboli" <[email protected]>
- Subject: 'e' DaDIlnIS
- Date: Sun, 15 Dec 96 20:38:17 UT
December 13, 1996 10:15 AM, jatlh charghwI':
> > If you really do mean "If you buy me a drink we will be able to talk"
> > then maybe {-laH} is appropriate, but if the implied cause-and-effect
> > is really important, I'd probably come up with a translation like
> > {maja'chuqmeH, jItlhutlh 'e' DaDIlnIS}.
>
> I like the first part of this, but I still think that "to pay
> for that I drink" is awkward both in Klingon and in the
> resulting translation. You pay for the drink. Perhaps
> {jItlhuthmeH bIDIlnIS}, but {HIq DaDIlnIS}. A sentence just
> feels like the wrong object for this verb in this setting. An
> action would have to be related to the verb {DIl} through {-meH}
> or {-mo'} with {DIl} used intransitively before it would sound
> good to me. You pay in order for something to happen or because
> something happens, but you don't pay that something happens. See?
I disagree. I think that the sentence works fine in the Klingon. It's only
the English translation that's awkward. Sure, using {-meH} works fine, too,
but I can't see a problem with the sentence.
One might say to an instructor,
choghojmoHtaH 'e' vIDIl.
I'm paying you to teach me.
What am I paying for? I am paying for the lessons. Now, I could use the word
{paQDI'norgh}, but I really don't see any problem here. And yes, this could
also be done as
choghojmoHtaHmeH jIDIl.
jItlhutlhtaH 'e' DaDIl
You are paying for my drink. (Lit. You pay for the fact that I am drinking.)
What are you paying for? You are paying for the fact that I am drinking.
Sure, the English doesn't sound like that, but that's what it means. Again,
you could also say
jItlhutlhtaHmeH bIDIl.
--
SuStel
Beginners' Grammarian
Stardate 96957.9