tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Nov 01 14:50:05 1996

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RE: some translations

jatlh charghwI':

>  This is something that was not so much an accident/mistake as a question >  
about 
>  the limits of {-law'}. Does it necessarily have to mean that the speaker is 

>  uncertain about the validity of the statement, or can it also mean that the 

>  speaker is certain that the validity of the statement is uncertain? This 
>  latter meaning is what I sought.

I'm not sure I see the difference.  It almost seems as if your first idea is 
talking about {-law'}, and your second is talking about {-law'qu'}.  If I'm 
uncertain about the validity of a statement, and I put {-law'} into the word, 
then surely I'm certain it belongs there.

The only thing TKD says about {-law'} is "This suffix expresses any 
uncertainty on the speaker's part and may even be thought of as meaning *I 
think* or *I suspect*."  Every example in canon that I can think of follows 
this meaning.  (Although I'd be willing to listen to have any counter examples 
I've forgotten pointed out to me.)  I see no reason to bend its meaning to 
{-qoq}, except that there is no corresponding verb suffix for this meaning, 
and this is not a convincing argument to me.

>  > SoHvaD jatlhQo'bogh vay' vIDa 'e' vIlIj.
>
>  To act in the manner of someone who does something does not necessarily >  
imply 
>  the duplicity of pretending. To appear to act in the manner of someone who 
>  does something and to call attention to the appearance being different from 

>  the actual behavior, now THAT is PRETENDING. See?

If you want imply duplicity ("pretend" doesn't always have this implication), 
then there's no problem!

Dutojbogh 'ej SoHvaD jatlhQo'bogh vay' vIDa 'e' vIlIj.

Well, I suppose that wasn't so much an implication as an outright statement, 
but then, "pretend" isn't exactly just an implication either.

There are other ways to say this, of course.

SuStel
Stardate 96837.6

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