tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Nov 14 20:17:20 1996

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RE: KLBC Question about verb modifiers: "Translation"

jatlh Peter R. Jones:

>  would someone be kind enough to point me in the direction of the FAQ.

Thatta' way!  --->  http://www.thomtech.com/~dspeers/faq.html

>  My question is:
>  
>     If "translate" is "mugh",
>     and "translator" is "mughwI'", 
>     how would "translation" be formed?

Oh, dear.  This is where I have to start explaining!  :)

The best way is not to say it!  Usually, one can avoid the word "translation" 
by using the verb {mugh} "translate."  However, you need to add some context:

I read my translation.
ghItlh vImughbogh vIlaD
(Literally, it's "I read the manuscript which I translated.")

Other situations can be dealt with similarly.

Since English is heavily oriented with nouns, you often have to do this sort 
of recasting into verbs to make a Klingon sentence.  However, if you 
absolutely *must* use it as a noun (something which shouldn't happen too 
often, or you're doing something wrong), you can use the verb suffix {-ghach}. 
 Read TKD p. 176.  Then, if you can get them, read HolQeD 3:3 and 3:4 on the 
subject.  The short version: if you stick another appropriate suffix between 
the verb and {-ghach}, it makes the word a noun meaning "state of being X" or 
"act of doing X," where "X" is the verb (and as ghunchu'wI' has pointed out, 
it also sometimes makes the word relate to the result of the action).  If you 
don't have an intervening suffix, the usage seems very marked to a Klingon, 
and it would seem to be shouting to him, "Hey!  I'm weird!  Look at me!"

Some ways I'd see this (these would probably not be lexicalized in actual 
Klingon dictionaries).

{mughlI'ghach} "act of translating"
{mughqa'ghach} "act of re-translating"
{mughlaHghach} "ability to translate"

Try not to overuse {-ghach}!

>  BTW: I was also trying to come up with a way of saying "Please" and
>  "Thankyou" - I know, I didn't expect them to be part of tlhInganpu'
>  vocabulary either - and I came up with "Dubelchugh" and "qatlho'"
>  respectively.  Thinking about it now I realise that "thankyou" could also 
be
>  "Satlho'", depending on the circumstances...  Do these seem correct?

If you actually want to tell someone that you are thanking them for something, 
then you can say {qatlho'} or {Satlho'}, yes.  But only say it if you mean it. 
 Don't say it to be polite, because Klingon doesn't bother with politeness 
(except for the {-neS} suffix).  You do not say "please" in Klingon at all.  
You also don't say "hello," "goodbye," or "excuse me" in Klingon.  Just state 
your business.

SuStel
Beginners' Grammarian
Stardate 96873.6

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