tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Mar 03 19:04:56 1996
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Re: KLBC:law'-puS & more
- From: [email protected] (Alan Anderson)
- Subject: Re: KLBC:law'-puS & more
- Date: Sun, 3 Mar 1996 22:06:37 -0500
Thiago writes:
>{my three swords are stronger than your nine swords}
>wej 'etlhmeywIj' HoS law' Hut 'etlhmeyraj HoS puS
maj.
>{this Bird of Prey is faster than your Federation battle Cruiser}
>toQDujvam nom law' DIvI'may'Dujraj nom puS
>(can I use nom as an adjective for fast?)
ghobe'. Adjectives are not verbs, and only a "...verb expressing a
quality or condition may fit into the Q slot." (see TKD 6.6)
There isn't a verb "be fast", but there is a noun "velocity."
Try {toQDujvam Do tIn law' DIvI'may'Dujraj Do tIn puS}.
>Dialogue 1:
>1) nuqneH (What do you want?)
>2) tera'ngan jIH (I am a Terran)
>1) nuqneH jay' (What the @#$$ do you want?)
Hmm. I'm not really comfortable with this, but I can't quite put my
finger on a good reason to complain about it.
>2) nuqDaq Duj (Where is the ship?)
You need to say {nuqDaq 'oH Duj'e'} or {nuqDaq 'oHtaH Duj'e'}. (TKD 6.3)
>1) jISovbe' (I don't know)
Since you're implying "I don't know (the answer)" I'd prefer {vISovbe'}.
You can also say {'e' vISovbe'}, using {'e'} to refer to the question.
>2) nuq. petaQ SoH (What?? You @#%$)
I reject this use of {nuq}. I don't think it can be translated with this
particular meaning. What *is* the real meaning of "What??", anyway?
{petaQ SoH} is a complete sentence, and it means "You are a {petaQ}."
>Dialogue 2:
>1) SoH nuq (What are you?)
I'm having trouble with this question. It's seems okay grammatically
(we have {SoH 'Iv} "who are you?" as a canon example), but I don't think
it's the right question in this situation. It's entirely too general.
I suggest instead {mutlIj nuq}. Actually, I prefer {nuq 'oH mutlIj'e'}.
>2) tlhIngan jIH (I am a Klingon)
>1) tlhIngan Hol Dajatlh'a' (Do you speak the Klingon language?)
tlhobDI' Dogh. jatlhmeH lulo'ba'.
>2) HIja'. SoH nuq (Yes. What are you?)
>1) romuluSngan jIH (I am a Romulan)
>2) romuluSngan SoH'a'. qaHoH. romuluSnganpu' remuS tlhInganpu'
>(You are Romulan? {can I use the interrogative -'a' on nouns?} I will kill
>you. klingons hat Romulans)
ghobe'. The noun suffix {-'a'} and the verb suffix {-'a'} are completely
unrelated to each other; one may not use a noun suffix on a verb, and vice
versa. However, in this sentence, {SoH} actually is acting as a verb (see
TKD section 6.3), and the verb suffix works. Except that the sentence says
"Are you [a] Romulan?" and not "You are Romulan?" You might be able to get
away with putting a question mark on a statement: {romuluSngan SoH?}
The second sentence is correct as it is, but it could use some jazzing up.
How about a type 6 verb suffix? {qaHoHbej} or {qaHoHchu'}.
Using the verb prefix {re-} with the subject {tlhInganpu'} gets into murky
areas of the grammar. I'm not aware of any examples of this usage, and I
will neither commend nor condemn it. I'll throw it back to the list at
large for comment.
>1) jIQubbe'. romuluSnganpu' val law' tlhInganpu' val puS
>(I think not {Is this appropriate? I was thinking of "I don't think so."
> Romulans are smarter than Klingons)
I'm pretty sure the verb {Qub} "think" isn't what you want to use here.
I read {jIQubbe'} very unambiguously as meaning "I do not think" -- or
"I do not use my brain." :-) Consider {vIHarbe'} "I don't believe it,"
or {vIHon} "I doubt it" (my preference).
>2) HIja' 'ach tlhInganpu' HoS law' romuluSnganpu' HoS puS
>(Yes, but Klingons are stronger than Romulans)
The *grammar* looks okay, but do you really think a Klingon would agree
that Romulans are smarter?
>Well, there you have it...all corrections appreciated.
lughmoHghachmeywIj Dalajchugh tlho'lIj vIlaj.
-- ghunchu'wI' batlh Suvchugh vaj batlh SovchoH vaj