tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu May 16 12:41:16 1996

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Re: tlhob mughwI'



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>Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 06:51:32 -0700
>From: "Mark J. Reed" <[email protected]>

>"Mark J. Reed" <[email protected]> writes:
>\ DaHjaj "It doesn't matter when I receive it" vIjatlh vIneHpu'.  
>\ mu'tlheghvam vIlo'pu': {potlhbe' vIHevDI' qastaHbogh poH'e'}.
>\ 
>\ chaq "when (relative conjunction)" mughmeH reH Qap Dochvam
>\ ({... -DI' qaStaHbogh poH'e'})?

>Let's try this again.  Obviously, {-DI'} by itself is already a general
>solution for the relative conjunction "when".  But the above
>construction may be a general way to translate the relative *pronoun*
>when, introducing a clause that is being used as a noun - even as the
>subject of a sentence, as in the example above, which could also be
>cast as  "When I receive it doesn't matter."

Yes, this is definitely a relative-pronoun case.  We don't have a canon
answer for how to handle relative pronouns to my knowledge.  We have been
using question-words, NOT because English does, but based on a
question-answer model (and so it's not precisely the same as in English).
By that logic, you could say:

ghorgh vIHev?  ram.

When will I get it?  It doesn't matter.

Work for you?

~mark
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