tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Jan 23 12:12:29 1996
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Re: DS9 #31
- From: "Dr. Lawrence M. Schoen" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: DS9 #31
- Date: Tue, 23 Jan 1996 12:12:29 -0800
=> > I just picked up Malibu Comic's DS9 #31...
> > petlheDrupchoH: Disembark (you will begin being ready
> > to depart)
>
> The translation here is a little rough. It is an imperitive (a
> command) to a group of people. "Prepare to depart!" Your
> translation sounds less like a command than a prediction. I
> also wonder if the {-choH} is really necessary, since that
> tends to be implied in any imperitive. Why issue an order if
> not to bring about a change in state? I can see some instances
> when you might want to explicitly state a {-taH} or maybe even
> a {-ta'}, but the {-choH} sounds a little superfluous.
charghwI's remarks here are interesting and instructive. Mind you, I still
disagree with him. Ironic, since I used him as my model for constructing that
sentence. The first portion of the criticism seems to be based on the English
translation rather than focusing on the Klingon. I'll gladly grant your
interpretation of the English as sounding like something less than an
imperative, but that's not the point. The Klingon is clearly marked as an
imperative, and that seems to be what the situation calls for.
The question about the choice of the suffix -choH is a better one though. I was
of two minds on this. I tend to agree, somewhat, with charghwI' that there is a
certain redundancy to using -choH in this situation. Note though that I say
redundant, not superfluous. It is a common feature to find redundant
grammatical devices in discourse; from a processing point of view it is usually
thought of as part of the coherence and cohesion of the system. A better
argument might be that Klingons go in for brevity, and unnecessary suffixes
should be dispensed with. And yet... even a Klingon captain might choose to err
on the side of more pedantic instructions, to avoid excess hazards aboard ship.
Note that this is still much briefer than what the Federation Standard
instructions would have (presumably) been on a different vessel.
>
> But that's a nit-picky opinion. The suffix clearly works here.
Thanks. And thanks for forcing me to defend myself. Good practice.
Lawrence
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