tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Jun 23 19:39:14 1997
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Re: RE: KLBC: Klingon desktop items
- From: "William H. Martin" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: RE: KLBC: Klingon desktop items
- Date: Mon, 23 Jun 1997 22:40:38 -0400 ()
- Priority: NORMAL
On Mon, 23 Jun 1997 16:21:24 -0700 (PDT) David Trimboli
<[email protected]> wrote:
> [email protected] on behalf of Michael DeMatteo wrote:
>
> > I can see where you can use {nuqneH} in a store or being a host to a
> > party or at Quark's Bar (i.e. tlhutIh nuqneH). What about the following
> > greeting:
>
> Well, there are no infinitives in Klingon. In completely proper Klingon,
> "What do you want to drink" ends up as a question as object, and I don't like
> that. In this case, I'd just say {nuq Datlhutlh} "What will you drink?"
While I agree that this works, I think it works equally well as
{nuq Datlhutlh DaneH?} or even {DatlhutlhmeH nuq DaneH?} or
arguably even {bItlhutlhmeH nuq DaneH?} (although to me,
{DatlhutlhmeH} implies a reference to the liquid while
{bItlhutlhmeH} could refer to a mug or a straw).
I think the first one works because {DaneH} acts less like the
second sentence of a Sentence As Object construction than it does
like a suffix on the verb. {tlhutlh} and {neH} are so tightly
linked that it doesn't bother me to make the pair a question the
way it bothers me to make the first sentence in SOS a question.
Yeah, I'm probably off my nut on this one. It's just the way it
feels.
...
> However, this greeting only works if the person doesn't already know your
> name! If you are known, just get down to business. Stop all that fussing
> over the weather, your bad back, and the latest gossip from the bar.
You explain this well, jupwI'.
> --
> SuStel
> Beginners' Grammarian
> Stardate 97478.2
charghwI'
Stardate 97478.7