tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Dec 16 11:06:25 1997
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RE: KLBC Challenge: similar suffixes
- From: "Robyn Stewart" <[email protected]>
- Subject: RE: KLBC Challenge: similar suffixes
- Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 11:06:16 PST
- Organization: NLK Consultants, Inc.
- Priority: normal
In response to the challenge, lawsonse26 wrote:
I don't think I've seen you before. A genuine lurker? Welcome.
Your phrases have good word order and prefixes and a few learning
opportunities.
> qep'a' DaJaH'a'
> Are you going to the big meeting?
As far as we have seen, {jaH} doesn't take a direct object. It's
like English "go." I don't "go the meeting." I "go to the meeting."
In Klingon the prepositional idea of "to" is expressed with a suffix
after the noun instead of a little word before it. Look over the
section on type 5 noun suffixes, 3.3.5, I think, and read about
{-Daq}. Once the noun has {-Daq} on it it can't be the object of the
verb, so the prefix changes. Oh, and watch capitalization. The
letter {j} is never shifted.
qep'a'Daq bIjaH'a'?
> verenganpu' vIHoHpu'
> I have killed Ferengi
pup.
> HoHmeH tajmey
> The knives are for killing
The verb with {-meH} gives the purpose of another verb or noun. Here
the only other word is a noun, so you have said "killing knives," not
a complete sentence. You could say {HoHmeH tajmey bIH} "They are
knives for killing," or leave it the way it is, understanding that
you have a phrase, not a sentence.
The suffixes {-meH} and {-mey} are similar, but they weren't the pair
I was looking for. {-mo'} is the one I wanted, but it turned out to
be harder than I thought to make sentences with both, so don't worry
about it.
> nughoslI' Ha'DIbaHlI'
> your animal is approaching us.
{nughoSlI'} is very good. The {-lI'} noun suffix "your" should only
be used on beings capable of using language, so unless the animal is
Bugs Bunny, I'd use {-lIj}, "your" for non-talking things, for
Ha'DIbaH. It would work perfectly if you said {nughoSlI' be'nI'lI'}
"your sister is approaching us."
> So'wI'wI'
> my cloaking devise
Same trouble as with {-lI'}. While I could imagine that you were
talking about a language capable animal, there is no way you have an
intelligent cloaking device. Use {-wIj} for "my" on non-talking
things and {-wI'} on talking ones. It's in the section on type 4
noun sffixes. I recommend that people always look up suffixes in the
text and not in the tables, because the tables skip some important
information.
You could say {QaHwI'wI'} - my helper, and this would show that the
helper was a being, not a device.
Good sentences. Please write more. It's the only way to discover
things that you didn't know.
- Qov