tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Sep 15 10:09:12 1996

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nIDwIj wa'DIch



 > From: "d'Armond Speers" <ur-valhalla!thomtech.com!dspeers>
 > Subject: nIDwIj wa'DIch
 
 >> While I fully agree that {*Qob* 'oH pongwIj'e'} is the "safe" way to
 >> say "My name is Qob", I think it's time we stopped fighting over the
 >> "instinctive" use  of {pong}.  The original argument against using
 >> {pong} to say "I name my son 'Qob'" was that this requires apposition
 >> ("son" and "Qob" are in apposition).

 > No, they're not.  This is not apposition.  This is a double-object
 > construction.  If it were apposition, you still wouldn't know what you
 > were naming your son, Qob.  It's like this:

 > I name my son Qob.  (double object)
 > I name my son, Qob, Kruge. (apposition)

Just when you think you understand what's going on, someone comes along who
really *does* understand. :-\

(Very helpful explanation deleted)

 > With verbs like /pong/, they seem to assign two separate object roles,
 > a feature of verbs that occurs relatively rarely (across languages,
 > though of course we just don't know about Klingon).  The argument is
 > how that will work in Klingon.  We know about objects (before the
 > verb); we know about indirect objects (at the beginning, marked with
 > /-vaD/).  All other objects come before.  But what about
 > double-objects?

Got it.  Is {pong} unique in this regard?  Are there any other Klingon words
that tale double objects?  (What about English?)

 > We have evidence of apposition, but I can't remember  where. 

Skybox card S26.

 > Sorry about the rant.  This isn't the first time I've seen the term
 > "apposition" used to refer to double-object verbs.  Just a little pet
 > peave of mine.

That was a rant?  <g>  I'm glad you ranted, then, because I'd rather
understand.  I have a textbook from an elective class I took in college, about
the history of English, but as a general linguistics text it's lacking
(apposition isn't even in the index).


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|         la' Qob sutai-qutvaj       tlhIngan wo' Duj quttaj ra'wI'     |
| Qojbogh tlhIngan ghom, maS Hurgh yo', *Northern* jogh, jogh boQDu''a' |
|                  === tlhIngan Hol yejHaD ghojwI' ===                  |
|               Fido: Bill Willmerdinger, 1:2613/477.1701               |
|         E-mail: [email protected]   [email protected]         |
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