tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Mar 06 18:01:50 1997

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RE: KLBC: Just some simple stuff..



jatlh Qaan maSwov:

> hmm..nuqDaq vItagh?
> (hopefully) I said:
> "Hmm..where shall I begin?"

Did you say it hopefully?  :)

Well, I wonder if this is an English idiom that would make it over the Klingon 
fence.  A much more literal translation of the idea would be

chay' jItagh?
How do I begin?

Note also that I used {jI-} and not {vI-}.  {nuqDaq} not an object of {tagh}, 
so there is no object.

> *Sweden*Daq jIHtaH
> "I am in Sweden"

maj.

> *Stockholm*Daq qalI'lI'
> "I am sending (transmitting) to you from Stockholm"

Actually, you really said "I am transmitting you to Stockholm."

For indirect objects like this, there's been a lot of controversy lately.  In 
TKD Addendum 6.8 we find that we can use a noun with {-vaD} as an indirect 
object.  In canon we find that we can also sometimes use verb prefixes to 
indicate indirect objects.  However, it's very unclear what those rules are.  
So far, I think you at least have to have another object before you can use 
the verb prefix method, but that's not certain.

The safe and correct way to do it would be to use {-vaD}.  So, "to you" would 
become {SoHvaD}.

*Stockholm*-vo' SoHvaD jIlI'lI'
I am transmitting to you from Stockholm.

Notice that I used {-vo'} "from" instead of {-Daq} "to."  Read TKD 3.3.5 to 
see why.

> Should I add jIH in this sentance? 
> *stockholm*Daq qalI'lI', jIH.
> It sounds better to use jIH..

Adding {jIH} to get {*Stockholm*-vo' SoHvaD jIlI'lI' jIH} simply clarifies and 
emphasizes that {jIH} is very important to the meaning.  {jIH} as opposed to 
{SoH} or {chaH} or anything else.  See TKD 6.1.

> nuqDaq Herghpu' Hatbogh
> "Where are the illegal drugs?"

Well, I suppose that some drugs are occasionally some sort of medicine that's 
being abused, but {Hergh} wouldn't do as an all-encompassing word for "drugs." 
 But if we ARE talking about abused medicine . . .

If using {-bogh}, then you're saying "medicine which is illegal."  "Medicine" 
is the subject of that phrase, and the subject of a Klingon phrase always 
comes last.  You'd need to say {Hatbogh Hergh} (TKD 6.2.3).

But you don't even need {-bogh} in this case.  Klingon verbs which express a 
state or quality (which have "be" in their TKD definition) can be used like 
adjectives.  You simply put them directly after the noun which they're 
describing.  So, instead of {Hatbogh Hergh}, you can say {Hergh Hat}.

This sentence, {nuqDaq Hergh Hat} would be okay for clipped Klingon, but do 
you see that there's no main verb?  You need one.  The appropriate one is 
{tu'lu'}.  Read TKD 4.2.5.  In a nutshell, it means "there is" or "there are." 
 So,

nuqDaq Hergh Hat tu'lu'?
Where does one find the illegal medicine?

-- 
SuStel
Beginners' Grammarian
Stardate 97180.0


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