tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Jan 02 17:17:34 1997

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RE: KLBC: More Phrases

January 01, 1997 6:05 PM, jatlh Gary Cowell:

> pa'Daq HoD jImoj'a' Saqoy'qu' 
> And is this happy new year??

I certainly hope this was not intended to be a translation.

Your Klingon sentence seems to be saying "I *really* begged all of you, 'Do I 
become a captain in the room?'"  If this is really what you meant, the only 
problem is that you'd need the {vI-} suffix, and not the {jI-} suffix, on 
{moj}.

Somehow, though, I don't think this is what you were intending.  What did you 
mean?

> Duchu' DIS Quch Daghjaj
> Happy new year to everyone anyhow.

If you walked up to a Klingon and said "Have a happy New Year!" he'd probably 
respond by glaring at you and saying {jISaHbe'}.  Translating this sentence 
literally just won't cut it in Klingon.  (Okay, it would *literally* be 
{Quchbogh DIS chu' yIghaj}.  But can you "have" a unit of time?  It's not a 
thing you can hold.  And do Klingons *care* if the year is happy?  I doubt it. 
 And is the *year* happy, or are *you*?)

I prefer to use (if I must) the sentence

qaStaHvIS DIS chu' bIQapjaj!
May you be successful during the New Year!

-- 
SuStel
Beginners' Grammarian
Stardate 97007.3

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