tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Jan 21 15:50:21 1997

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RE: KLBC: First attempt

January 21, 1997 9:46 AM EST, jatlh maqlIy:

> *maqlIy* 'oH pongwIj'e'.  De'tej jIH.  QIt tlhIngan hol vIghojtaH.
> 
> What I hope I said was: "My name is MaqlIy.  I am an information
> scientist. I am learning the Klingon language slowly."

Yes, you said it almost perfectly!  (The only problem was a lowercase {H}.)

I just sent another "first post" person a response.  Please see that one for 
any official word you may have missed (although it looks like you've been 
lurking for a while and have read my intro before).

> Should it be vIghojlI'?  My first impulse was to use -taH since even
> native speakers continue to learn new words throughout their lifetimes,
> but then I thought there might be a "without pause" concept implied "I
> learn Klingon and never do anything else". -lI' with the concept of
> progress toward a specific stopping place doesn't seem right either.

I always use {ghojtaH}.  Certainly {ghojlI'} is wrong; we are all continuing 
to learn.  {ghojtaH} is okay.  {-taH} doesn't necessarily mean that the action 
is taking place from one instant to the next (well, perhaps it could mean 
that, but I really doubt it), but that over the range of time that you're 
talking about, the action doesn't necessarily end.

> Will I give offense or humiliate myself by calling myself MaqlIy?  I think 
my
> name would sound like either maq lIy or maghwI' to a native speaker, so I
> thought I should  force it in the preferred direction.

*shrug* Worf's father's name is {mogh}, and there were commanders {Qugh}, 
{qor}, {qeng} . . .

-- 
SuStel
Beginners' Grammarian
Stardate 97059.5

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