tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Apr 20 15:09:33 1997

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RE: KLBC: Responding to the curious

jatlh Banzai:

>   Many time when it comes up in conversation that I am learning to speak
> tlhIngan Hol, the inevitable response is, "Say something in Klingon."  I
> thought the perfect reply would be, "What do you want me to say?", only
> spoken in tlhIngan Hol.  Can SuStel (and then others, of course) tell me if
> my syntax is okay?  I respond:
> 
> nuq jIjatlh DaneH, or "You want that I say what?"

Yeah, this happens to me a lot.  Here's a funny problem: you know how I have 
this thing against question as object?  Well, your sentence is one.  The 
second sentence is the one that is actually *happening* ({DaneH} "you want 
it"), but it is a statement.  The first sentence (which would have to be {nuq 
vIjatlh}, as the {nuq} is substituting for a noun, not a sentence) is the 
question, but not the "base" sentence.  {nuq vIjatlh DaneH} *looks* okay, but 
I would not want to use it?

I occasionally use {nuq vIjatlhnIS?} "What must I say?"  Something long-winded 
(which the person bugging you will positively love), is {mu'tlhegh vImughmeH, 
jIHvaD wa' yIja'} "tell me a sentence to translate."

A warning: this sort of person is almost certainly going to ask you to say 
something which happens to concern questionable grammar.

> Also note to SuStel:  I've been practicing my "tlh" sound and it's sounding
> better and better.  Thanks for the coaching on the Talker.  I've even
> tackled trying to say "tlhutlh", which is beginning to sound fairly decent
> when I say it.

maj.

SuStel
Beginners' Grammarian
Stardate 97302.2

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