tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Nov 13 13:10:18 1997

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Re: KLBC naDev jIchu'

ghItlh Qov
> Doneq
> >ghItlh Qov
> >> >> }ghItlh Alan Anderson
> >> >> }> ["Worf and Gowron. We're Klingons," says one Klingon
> >> >> }> truthfully.] ja' charghwI':
> >> >> }> ><wo'rIv ghawran je. tlhIngan maH!> ja' wa' tlhIngan 'ej vIt
> >[pe']
> >> >> It's clipped imperative, the correct way to address pets. From
> >> >> one of the audio tapes. It means "Bite that arm off" literally
> >> >> "Bite that arm! Separate it!"
> >[pe']
> >> "Why do you leave 'ej out" is a valid question, and the answer is
> >> just, that's the way it seems to be done with the Klingon
> >> imperative. Consider other examples like:
> >
> >imperative? "[...], says one Klingon truthfully." Where does that
> >imperative come from? Kahless dropped it to us from the sky? :) When 
> >I wrote the story, I had absolutely no intention of using 
> >imperatives. {vIt} means simply "He speaks the truth" here.
> 
> I answered only the question "What does {'uSvetlh chop chev} mean?"  
> If I attached my answer to the wrong post, or misedited the one I was 
> following up to, I apologize for any confusion I caused anyone.

Well, it's not you who changed my sentence into an imperative, but 
I'd like to know why the one who *did* mention that {vIt} should be a 
separate sentence, and started comparing it with clipped imperatives, 
mentioned it. I mean, if everything should be turned into separate 
sentences, why do we have the word {'ej} in the first place?  :)

/Doneq
______
bISutlhnISchugh jaghlI' mInDu' tIbej

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