tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri May 09 14:44:37 1997

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RE: KLBC: my first message

[email protected] on behalf of Grunow, Aroleon wrote:
> Here goes nothing: please be gentle  :)

va, Human puj DaDa!
You act like a weakling human!  :-)

> jabbI'IDwIjvam wa'DIch
> This is my first message.

{-wIj} and {-vam} are both Type 4 noun suffixes.  As explained in TKD 3.3, a 
noun may not have more than one suffix of any particular type.

Let's examine the English a little closer for a moment.  "This is my first 
message."  What is your first message?  "This" is.  Well, this what?  "This 
message."  A fuller sentence is "This message is my first message."

We're going to need this fuller meaning to translate it into Klingon.  
Whenever you have one thing being equated with another (i.e., "<something> is 
<something else>"), you are using a "to be" construction.  Be sure to read 
over TKD section 6.3 on this topic.

So, we need to be able to say "this message" and "my first message."  (Well, 
"this data transmission" and "my first data transmission.")  Using the noun 
{jabbI'ID} and the Type 4 noun suffix {-vam} "this," we get {jabbI'IDvam} 
"this message."  Similarly, we can construct {jabbI'IDwIj} "my message."

As you seem to have mastered, the ordinal number goes after the noun.  
{jabbI'IDwIj wa'DIch} "my first message."

Now, just plug it into the "to be" construction.

jabbI'IDwIj wa'DIch 'oH jabbI'IDvam'e'.
This message is my first message.

> tlhingan Hol vIHaDtah
> I am studying (have started to study?) the Klingon language

Make sure you always capitalize {I} and {H}.

Your sentence says "I am studying the Klingon language."  If you want to say 
"I have started to study," you're going to need a couple of different 
suffixes.

The Type 3 verb suffix {-choH} "change" means that the action starts 
happening.  {vIHaDchoH} means "I begin studying it."

The Type 7 verb suffix {-ta'} means that the action is complete (as of 
whatever time you're talking about).  It further indicates that the action was 
intentional; the subject set out to accomplish this action.  I presume you set 
out to begin to study Klingon, and you've accomplished that.  Therefore, I can 
add {-ta'} to {vIHaDchoH} and get {vIHaDchoHta'} "I have completed beginning 
to study it."

> I wanted to say "I have been studying... for two months", but I can't
> find how to build the time construction "for x (period of time)".

The key verb you'll need is {qaS}.  In fact, there is a phrase in TKD's Useful 
Klingon Expressions appendix (and again in TKW) which uses {qaS} in this way: 
{qaStaHvIS wa' ram loS SaD Hugh SIjlaH qetbogh loD} "Four thousand throats may 
be cut in one night by a running man."

The phrase to focus on is {qaStaHvIS wa' ram} "while one night occurs."  We 
can port this construction over to any other sentence:

{qaStaHvIS cha' jar tlhIngan Hol vIHaDtaH}
I've been studying Klingon for two months.
Literally: while two months occur, I continuously study Klingon.

>  -meH could be used "I have been studying for (the purpose of)", but
> that's not what I am trying to say.

Don't translate word for word.  Just because {-meH} can use the word "for" in 
its translation doesn't mean it's correct.  You are right not to use it.

majQa'!
batlh jumuvta'!

-- 
SuStel
Beginners' Grammarian
Stardate 97355.0

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