tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Nov 17 18:26:47 1996

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RE: KLBC: nuq

SuStel writes:
>>Oh dear.  You've just hit one of those snags in the Klingon language.  There
>>is no easy way to say "Which <noun>."

Adrian (HurghwI') writes:
>I would have suggested the following, although I like your idea as well:
>Ha'DIbaH 'oHbogh nuq wIje'laH.
>"What can we buy which is meat?"

[SFX: a brain being stretched into a new position]

That's a remarkable way to try to translate "which".  I'll have to
let it percolate for a while, but at first glance I kind of like it.

{DujlIj Qaw'ta' HoD ghaHbogh 'Iv?} "Which captain destroyed your ship?"
{nuH 'oHbogh nuq Dalo' DaneH?} "Which weapon do you want to use?"

The first isn't quite as concise as {DujlIj Qaw'ta'bogh HoD'e' yIngu'},
and the second isn't anywhere near as simple as {nuH yIwIv}, of course.
Using a "to be" construction like this seems pretty contrived, but it
also seems to convey exactly the meaning intended.

-- ghunchu'wI'

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