tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Dec 21 02:47:50 1997

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Re: KLBC: Short and Easy [James]



In article <[email protected]>, Qov
<[email protected]> writes
>This is my peeve of the week, so I want everyone to get it before I am
>through. Don't look at the word "won't" and automatically sub in {-Qo'}.
>Ask yourself: is this sentence stating that the subject refuses to perform
>this action, or simply stating that the ubject isn't going to perform it in
>the future?  {-Qo'} is for refusal and {-be'} is for statement of fact or
>prediction.

Well, my Klingon isn't good enough to translate this just yet but:

If I had just had a very bad experience which I didn't want to repeat, I
could say "I won't do that again."  Because it isn't a refusal and is a
prediction for the future, I'd use *-be'*, right?

And if I was on the bridge of my ship and the Captain gave me an order
which I believed was cowardly or something and I wanted to refuse it,
I'd say "I won't do that" which would be translated with *-Qo'*, yes?

Just having a go at them (after all, how else will I learn?), the first
would be:

'oHvetlh vIta'be'qa'
(it with a that suffix, then accomplish (do) with an I-it prefix, qa'
(type 3) for again and be' as a rover for won't)

And the second would be:

'oHvetlh vIta'Qo'

(it with a that suffix again, and then just simply accomplish with an I-
it prefix and Qo' for refusal).

I think that *'oHvetlh* would be acceptable translation for that,
because *'e'* doesn't apply and neither does *net* (I think), but I'm
quite likely wrong.

The only thing I can think of is that, in the second instance, whether
you would say "that" in Klingon.  The write up of *-vetlh* seems to
imply that I would more likely use *-vam* because it's what the Captain
has just this second been talking about, rather than something which has
already occured (as in the first situation).  Thinking about it, maybe
they should both be *-vam* because they would both, most likely, be what
was just being talked about which is what *-vam* is supposed to be used
for.  But then it's translation as this and *-vetlh* as that are
inconsistent with English speaking but so is quite a lot of Klingon so
that isn't too much of a problem - just difficult to get used to.

And I think you can treat pronouns as normal nouns and add suffixes to
them but, again, I don't know.  I can't see it specified in TKD anywhere
(maybe it is in the Third Edition };)

-- 
tlhIbwI'

(and being constantly self depreciated isn't such a bad thing - it might help to
remind me not to get smug)


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