tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Aug 04 13:04:09 1997

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Re: loDvam ghaH 'Iv'e' ?



ghItlh peHruS:

>> I really don't like the above sentence. It translates as: Referring to
>> whom, he is this man. Try << 'Iv ghaH loDvam'e'>> instead. It translates
>> as: Referring to this man, who is he?

'ej ghItlh SuSvaj:

>There is nothing wrong with his sentence. In Klingon either "loDvam ghaH
>'Iv'e'" or "'Iv ghaH loDvam'e'" are both grammatical. But perhapse this
>issue should be tackled by the grammarians

We have canon - SoH 'Iv? = Who are you? (One of the tapes - someone help me
there...) 'Iv can, like nuq, be used like a pronoun. So the original
sentence, loDvam ghaH 'Iv'e'?, is not wrong, just redundant, sorta (but,
no, not identically) like asking in English "Who is she, that woman?"
PeHruS's suggested alternative is correct as well, but because the noun is
in the subject, the pronoun and -'e' are needed. It seems entirely correct
to just say 

loDvam 'Iv?

and leave it at that.

Qermaq




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