tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Apr 27 23:51:23 1997
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Re: RE: KLBC: Some Sayings
- From: "William H. Martin" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: RE: KLBC: Some Sayings
- Date: Mon, 28 Apr 1997 02:52:55 -0400 ()
- Priority: NORMAL
On Thu, 24 Apr 1997 23:12:34 -0700 (PDT) David Trimboli
<[email protected]> wrote:
...
> > However, I do not understand the differnce between TKW's "noH
> > ghoblu'DI'" and your "noH ghoblu'taHvIS" for "In war." could you explain
> > it.
>
> {-DI'} says that one thing happens as soon another thing happens. That other
> thing is usually pretty instantaneous, or its duration is not relevant.
> {-vIS} means that something happens *while* something else is continuously
> happening.
>
> If we used {-DI'} above, we'd have said, "As soon as one fights a war, there
> are dirty fighters and losers." With {-vIS}, it's "*While* one fights a war .
I think the first meaning serves quite well. As soon as one
fights a war, there are dirty fighters and losers. I also like
to use the word "when" instead of "as soon as" when translating,
keeping in mind that "when" has several meanings and the "as
soon as" version is the one I intend, but it makes for smoother
translation. When one fights a war, there are dirty fighters and
there are losers.
The "while" definition loses some of that meaning for me. It is
a vague time stamp. At some point during the fighting of a war,
there are dirty fighters and there are losers. If you really
want to imply that the dirty fighters and losers exist the
entire time one fights a war, I think you need {-taH} on the
main verb as well.
As in:
bIjatlhtaHvIS bIDaltaH.
If I just said:
bIjatlhtaHvIS bIDal.
I would only be implying that at some point during your speech,
you were boring. The first version makes it clear that the
entire time you spoke, you were boring. I might also generalize
it to say:
bIjatlhDI' bIDal.
When you speak, you are boring. See?
charghwI'