tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Jun 16 17:03:03 1997
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KLBC: nominal sentences
- From: [email protected]
- Subject: KLBC: nominal sentences
- Date: Mon, 16 Jun 1997 20:02:31 -0400 (EDT)
Up to now I didn't realize that the following two facts, when put together,
had some dramatic :-) consequences:
(1) many (if not most) Klingon words may be used as verbs or nouns, differing
only in the affixes they accept and their position in the sentence ;
(2) {'a'} is the augmentative suffix for nouns, the interrogative suffix for
verbs.
Hence there can be *no* nominal sentences (i.e. without verb) in tlhingan Hol
!
e.g. : {Qagh} "he makes a mistake" or "it is a mistake" (if nominal sentences
were allowed).
{Qagh'a'} "is he making a mistake ?" or "it is a big mistake" (if nominal,
etc)
Of course, I choosed this example because {Qagh} is both verb and noun,
and also because all the above probably apply to me...
Since TKD does not mention nominal sentences, I must say :
{Qagh} "he makes a mistake"
{Qagh 'oH} "it is a mistake"
{Qagh'a'} "is he making a mistake ?"
{Qagh'a' 'oH} "it is a big mistake"
It expect a sharp answer from BG. This should only cause problems in
Clipped Klingon, where context dictates meaning.
{qar'a' ?}
(a propos: where should I put the interrogative {'a'} when a pronoun is used
in the sense of "to be" ? {Qagh'a' 'oH} or {Qagh 'oH'a'} ? the 2nd seems more
appropriate according to TKD 6.3, e.g. {jIHtah} with {-taH} appended to the
pronoun).
Qapla' -- HdW