tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Nov 03 21:22:29 1997
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Re: Plans
- From: "Neal Schermerhorn" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: Plans
- Date: Tue, 4 Nov 1997 00:25:48 -0500
Without reprinting the many excellent points he has made - that would take
too much space - I must concur with charghwI'.
The crucial point is this - the Sentence-As-Object construction uses the
whole sentence as object. "The Klingon is strong." <HoS tlhIngan> "I know
that the Klingon is strong." <HoS tlhIngan 'e' vISov>
The object of the second sentence, <'e'>, refers to the WHOLE previous
sentence. I don't know why the Klingon is strong, or when he is strong, or
even who the strong Klingon is, necessarily - I know that the Klingon is
strong.
The sentence used as an object must be a fact or concept which can be
weaseled into acting as a noun, which is represented by the pronoun <'e'>.
<'e' vISov> REALLY means "I know that" and "that" is a pronoun which
represents the noun phrase "the fact or concept expressed by the last thing
said".
A question is, by definition, not a statement of fact. It is a lack of fact.
It is missing information which the addressed party is expected to provide.
Therefore, <tlhIngan HoS 'Iv?> "Who's the strong Klingon?" is not a fact
which we can squeeze into the narrow definition of a noun, noun phrase or
pronoun - since all objects are nouns, noun phrases or pronouns, a question
CANNOT be an object.
It is my conviction that only statements which express a fact can be the
object in the construction in question. I will hold this till MO himself
proves me wrong.
Qermaq