tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Jun 26 22:42:52 1997

Back to archive top level

To this year's listing



[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]

RE: KLBC story: ghomqa' qorDu'



Pay attention to Qov's use of suffixes.  She uses them to their maximum 
advantage, and wastes no time on useless or redundant ones.  The story is 
precise and elegantly written.

jatlh Qov:

> *ghomqa' qorDu'*
> 
> HuDmey jojDaq wam tlhIngan loD.  po 'eqqu' juHDaj mejpu' 'ej DaH 
> Ha'DIbaH ghoch.

{wam} and {ghoch} might benefit from {-taH}.  These are continuous actions, 
not single events.

> gheD HoHchugh vaj qorDu'Daj je'bej. be'nal puqloD 
> puqbe' je ghaj loD. wa' ngoD potlhqu' Sovbe' loD.  juHDaq ratlhbe' 
> qorDu'Daj.
> 
> * * *
> yavDaq ba' tlhIngan loDHom Qupqu'.  ghung ghaH. lam. yIvbeH tIq tuQ 
> 'ach waq tuQbe'.

He's not putting them on, and he's not just wearing them once, both instances 
of {tuQ} here should get {-taH}, too.  There are more verbs which could use 
{-taH}, but I'm sure you can find them.

> rIQ poSDaj bem. ghopDajDaq nagh 'uchqu' 'ej ngem 
> bej.  bIr yav.  Hurgh ngem. juHDajDaq jaH neHqu' 'ach He 
> SamlaHbe'pu'.  nagh jej gho'mo' yItlaHbe'.  DaH naghvetlh jej 'uch 
> loDHom.  ngemDaq chuS vay'. leSHa'choH puq. 
> 
> * * *
> ngemDaq puqloDDaj nej be'.  DubDajDaq ghu qeng.  najtaHvIS bom..  
> ghu jotmoHmeH bombe'.  puqloDoyDaj SammeH bom.  poH nI' nej be'.

In order to accomplish a construction like "during <period of time>," you 
usually need to use a subordinate clause with {-vIS}:

qaStaHvIS poH nI' nejtaH be'.

When you give a specific time reference, like {DaHjaj} or {wa'maH cha'maH 
rep}, that's when you stick it in front.

> poH nI' puqloD pong jachtaH.

qaStaHvIS poH nI' puqloD jachtaH.

> DaH Qop HughDaj.

This may happen now, but perhaps we'd do better with {QopchoH HughDaj} "her 
throat becomes worn out."

>  jachlaHbe'.  
> qaStaHvIs tup bom be'.  qaStaHvIS tup 'Ij. QIt yIt 'ej yav bej, 'ach 
> tIS puqHom 'ej let yav.  yav ghItlhbe'pu' puq qamDu'.

Nice pair of sentences there!

> pay' puq ghogh Qoy. jachqu' puqDaj'e'. Sotbej.  He bot tI 'ach qetqu' 
> be'. qabDaj QID Sormey.  DubDajDaq vem ghu 'ej jachchoH. qettaHvIS 
> taj lel SoS 'ej vay' Qob SuvrupchoH.

{vay' Qob} makes perfect sense, of course, but perhaps you could simply say 
{Qob SuvrupchoH}.

> puqloD leghDI' 'er naS legh je.  
> puq yeb choplI' 'er.

Oooohhh . . .

> Qam puq 'ej Suv, 'ach rIghlaw' 'ej DeSDajDaq 
> 'Iw tu'lu'. nom 'er HIv be'.  puq chopqa'meH 'er, Ha'DIbaH ghIch woS 
> je Dech be' ghopDu'.

You mean {puq chopqa'be'meH 'er}, right?

> puqvaD <qet!> jach SoS, 'a qetlaHbe' puq.  pum.  
> 'er nach tlhe'moH be'.  mInDaq DuQmeH wa' ghop vIHchoH.

The subject of {vIH} is the thing which moves.  The word is used in {matay'DI' 
vIHtaHbogh bIQ rur mu'qaDmey} from PK.  {vIHtaHbogh bIQ} is "running water."

I'm also not quite certain why you need the {-Daq}; unless {DuQ} is 
transitive, I'd say

mIn DuQmeH wa' ghop vIHchoHmoH ghaH.

> wej DuQta' 
> 'ach pay' pum 'er.  vIHqa'be'.  Heghba'pu'.  ghu' nuD be'. lom 
> retlhDaq ba' puqloDDaj.  nagh jej 'uch. regh 'ach naghDaq 
> tlhIngan 'Iw tu'lu'be'.  'er 'uchtaHvIS SoS, 'er Hugh SIjta' 
> puqloDHom. 

I'm a bit baffled as to why you want to say {puqloDHom}.  There was a similar 
word above.  While it's a legitimate construction, I don't see why {puqloD} or 
{loDHom} isn't what you want.

> * * *
> juHDaq paw vav, Ha'DIbaH qemtaHvIS.  chIm juH. Dach be'nal. 
> Dach ghu.  Dach je puqloD.  nuqDaq chaH?  tugh be'nal Qoy.  bom ghaH. 
> 'Ij loD 'ej yay bom Qoy. mon.  Qapla'wIj bom be'nalwI'.

Qapla'Daj

> choltaHvIS qorDu'Daj bej vav.  QIt yIt.  rIghlaw' loDHom.  nuq qeng 
> chaH? puqloD chav QIjDI' be'nalDaj, puqHom ghopvo' nagh jej tlhap 
> vav 'ej taj tam.  <DaHjaj loD SoH> maq. <DaHjaj malop.>

lutHomvam vItIvbej.

> We don't really know what sort of animal an 'er is, but for the 
> purpose of this storry it's a four-legged carnivore a bit like a pit 
> bull. It would make an easy meal of a Klingon toddler.

Wouldn't it be nice if "Klingon for the Galactic Traveler" has some pictures 
of dangerous Klingon creatures in it?

-- 
SuStel
Beginners' Grammarian
Stardate 97486.5


Back to archive top level