tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Jul 28 14:04:31 1997
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Re: cheghta' muHwI' !
- From: "David Trimboli" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: cheghta' muHwI' !
- Date: Mon, 28 Jul 97 00:30:35 UT
[email protected] on behalf of Neal Schermerhorn wrote:
> OK - Theory Time - everyone can feel free to rip this to shreds...
>
> If -be' negates the element it follows, then tu'lu'be' and tu'be'lu' would
> both be translatable as There aren't. But the 'actual' meanings are still:
>
> DujwIjDaq yIHmey lutu'be'lu' = Someone does not find tribbles on my ship.
> DujwIjDaq yIHmey lutu'lu'be' = No one finds tribbles on my ship.
>
> The examples of tu'lu' above yield to this analysis well.
>
> QuvlIjDaq yIH tu'be'lu'jaj = May someone not find tribbles at your
> coordinates.
> SuvwI' qan tu'lu'be' = No one finds old warriors.
>
> The first expresses a hope that tribbles will not be encountered, not that a
> search will be undertaken or anything - one simply won't come across any.
The
> second implies that no matter how hard you look, you cannot find an old
> warrior.
>
> "Someone doesn't find" (tu'be'lu') seems to mean that in the regular course
> of
> events, the object will not be encountered. "No one finds" (tu'lu'be')
> expresses conviction that even when scrutiny is used, the object will not be
> found.
What's the negative of an indefinite subject?
No, I think what's happening here is that {tu'lu'} has become a special form
all by itself (which would explain its special treatment in TKD), and that
{-be'} is negating this special form.
tu'be'lu'
{-be'} is negating {tu'}
tu'lu'be'
{-be'} is negating {tu'lu'} -- the whole thing.
I can think of no good reason that {-lu'} itself should ever need to be
negated. {-lu'} is often translated "someone," but it's not a specific
someone. That's {vay'}, the negation of which is {pagh}.
{QuvlIjDaq yIH tu'be'lu'jaj} "May someone not find tribbles at your
coordinates." This doesn't mean that someone else should, it is a wish that
any subject, the general subject, not find tribbles there.
--
SuStel
Beginners' Grammarian
Stardate 97571.6