tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Nov 17 15:03:31 1997

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maHagh tlhInganpu' (was:Klingon words for "subject"...)



At 11:04 AM 11/17/97 -0800, SuStel wrote:

>You cannot say "we Klingons" in Klingon.  You cannot say {maHagh
>tlhInganpu'} for "We Klingons laugh."  It just don't work that way!  

Just to pick a nit:  How do we know it doesn't work that way?  Is
it explicitly forbidden by canon?  It seems like simple apposition
to me (to those who reply that apposition needs two nouns, just
think of this as a briefer form of {maHagh maH tlhInganpu'}).  Why
isn't this phrase legal: {bIQIp SoH qoH} "You, fool, are stupid."
 
I can imagine a situation in which some Klingons are in a room with
Ferengi, Humans, etc.  Someone comments that a dangerous situation is
about to occur.  A Klingon replies {Qobmo' maHagh tlhInganpu'}.  To
simply say {Qobmo' maHagh} might imply that everyone in the room laughs at
danger, whereas our Klingon wants to emphasis that just the Klingons
are so cool.

>I, for one, do not find this lack to be in any way troublesome.
>
Sure, I can live without it, but if nothing forbids it, what's wrong
with using it?

-- ter'eS

http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Corridor/2711



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