tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Jan 20 13:57:35 1997

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Re: The {nuq} of Earl

~mark comments on Thornton Rose's query:

:I do believe (with no canon support, mind you), that "nuq" and "'Iv" can
:participate in noun-noun constructions, replacing a noun.  However, you
:can't say "*SoH Dargh" for "your tea" even though that would seem logical,
:because we are explicitly told that it doesn't work that way.  The
:Dictionary specifically says that for the pronouns for which suffixes
:exist, you use the type-4 noun suffixes, and not the noun-noun
:construction.
:
:>2. Is {nuq Dargh DaneH?} improper because we know that we cannot use {nuq} in
:>this way (i.e. like "what/which" in English), or because we don't have any
canon
:>that shows us that we can use it in this way?
:
:I suspect the latter.  We are not TOLD that "nuq does not mean which of a
:set" (if we were we probably would be told what if anything does).  The
:canon is merely silent on the matter.
:
:Actually, this is not completely true.  Okrand *has* come out and said that
:to ask "which one" you want, the way to do it is to make it a command and
:use "Dargh DaneHbogh yIngu'".  So in that sense we do have canon support
:for not using it and thus implied canon against it.
:
:>3. I received {majQa'} from SuStel for recasting the question as {Dargh Segh 
:>yIwIv.}. But, if I really want to ask, could I ask {Dargh DaneHbogh 'oH
nuq'e'?}?
:
:Probably... it would mean "what is the tea you want?" which is sort of
:stilted and not completely the question you wanted to ask.
:
:>4. Suppose I want to be very sarcastic with another warrior (dangerous, I
know)
:>and really want to do it in the form of a question, how would I say "What is 
:>the temperature of your blood?"? {'IwlIj Hat 'oH nuq'e'?}, perhaps?
:
:It sounds better to me to order it as "nuq 'oH 'IwlIj Hat'e'", but that's
:neither here nor there.  I would accept this phrasing.


In short questions, nuq is used inconsistently by Okrand. Is this a
colloquial vs. formal stylistic variation? To review the canon:

"Question, regarding an object." (MSN Linguistic Studies)

qaStaH nuq jay' What the #$*@ is happening?  TKD
Duj ghoStaH nuq What is coming toward the ship?  TKD
nuq legh yaS What does the officer see?  TKD
nughoStaH nuq What is coming toward us?  TKD
nuq Dalegh What do you see?  TKD
Dochvam nuq What is this?  CK                   <----
nuq mI'lIj What is your number? CK              <----
Daqvam nuq What is this place?  CK              <----
nuq tu'lu' What is there?  CK                   <----
pa'Daq qaStaH nuq What's happening over there? CK
nuq jatlh [or, nuqjatlh?] What did he say? CK
Sojvetlh 'oH nuq'e' What is that food?  PK      <----
qaStaH nuq jay' [What the #$*@ is happening!? (untranslated)] ST6
Dujvetlh 'oH nuq? What ship is that?  ST6       <----
DaH nuq ta'pu' Day joH What has Lady Di done now? (RT book)

"Question words (in this case, nuq what?) function the same way pronouns do
in questions with to be in the English translations. Thus, the question yIH
nuq? What is a tribble? is exactly parallel the statement yIH 'oH It is a
tribble... The answer to the question yIH nuq? (What is a tribble?) would
presumably be a definition or description of a tribble. This being the case,
then, the answer to the question jarlIj qaq nuq? (What is your preferable
month?) would presumably be a definition of your favorite month." (MSN
Okrand BBS)

... as well as 'Iv:

yaS legh 'Iv Who sees the officer?  TKD
'Iv legh yaS Whom does the officer see?  TKD
SoH 'Iv Who are you?  CK
SoH 'Iv jay' [Who the #$*@ are you!? (untranslated)] ST6


I wish I understood more about the range of acceptable stylistic variations
in Klingon.

- Voragh

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