tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Jul 27 16:58:35 1997
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Re: KLBC the great swede..
- From: "David Trimboli" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: KLBC the great swede..
- Date: Sun, 27 Jul 97 19:49:06 UT
[email protected] on behalf of [email protected] wrote:
> Is this acceptable??
>
> 1. Give me something to drink and shut up.
>
> 1. = vay' jItlhutlhlaH HInob 'ej bItamqu'
Even if you had the right prefix on {tlhutlh}, {vay' vItlhutlhlaH} means "I
can drink something." I cannot give this to you. Try a {-meH} purpose
clause, like this:
jItlhutlhmeH vay' HInob
Give me something so that I drink.
Give me something to drink.
"Shut up" is easily said in many ways, but {bItamqu'} means "You are very
quiet." That's not even a command. Use the stock phrase:
bIjatlh 'e' yImev
Shut up!
jItlhutlhmeH vay' HInob. bIjatlh 'e' yImev.
Give me something to drink and shut up.
> 2. The klingon alcoholics are going to rock n roll all night, and party
> every day.
> 2. = Hoch ram *rock n roll* tlhutlhwI'pu' tlhIngan 'ej Hoch jaj tay
>
> I am not really satisfied with the translation I came up with for "party".
> Is there a better word? Or do they party when they have their ceremonies?
There's {lop} celebrate.
{Hoch ram} is "every night," not "all night." That would be {qaStaHvIS ram
naQ} "during the entire night." The same with {Hoch jaj}. (By the way, you'd
probably want {pem} here instead of {jaj}. {jaj} refers to sunrise to
sunrise, while what you mean is sunrise to sunset.
Well, we don't have a verb for "rock 'n' roll." Go figure.
{tlhutlhwI'} is not exactly "alcoholic." We don't have/know a word for this,
and you'd need a longer, descriptive phrase to substitute. Perhaps {HIq
lupoQbogh tlhIngan} "Klingon who require alcohol." Others' attempts at this
would be welcome.
> 3. What are you doing? Get your hands off my butt!
>
> 3. = nuq bIvangtaH ? DuboywIjDaq ghoppu'lIj Dange'
>
> Is there a better word than *Duboy* -dear back (of body)?
Useful in any general phrase-book, I'm sure!
I'm not so sure that {vang} takes an object. "Act, take action" doesn't seem
to imply that it does. {ta'} "accomplish" should work just as well.
{Dub} is "back of body," and {Duboy} is just nonsense, not "butt." Some
people use {'o'} humorously, but the simple fact is we just don't know the
word for this.
Watch your verb prefixes! You got both of them wrong! And watch the plural
marker for body parts! It's {-Du'}, not {-pu'}!
nuq Data'taH? *'o'*wIjvo' ghopDu'lIj tInge'
> 4. I am the great swede who do things the klingon way.
>
> 4. = tlhIngan jIvangbogh swengan'a'na jIH (*swengan* my word for swedish)
Okay. This kind of sentence requires a major rewrite. Also, it would help to
make it two sentences.
*swengan*'a'na' jIH. jIvangDI' tlhIngan vIrur.
I am the great Swede. When I act, I resemble a Klingon.
--
SuStel
Beginners' Grammarian
Stardate 97571.0