tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Nov 23 02:45:46 1997

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Re: KLBC: QAO lut



At 15:03 97-11-22 -0800, 'oliva' wrote:
}On Thu, 20 Nov 1997, Qov wrote:
}> At 15:49 97-11-18 -0800, 'olIva' wrote:
}> } <qatlh SuD chal 'e' vISov neH vIneH!>
}> } "I just want to know that why is the sky blue?!"
}> I would have put the {neH} after the {vIneH}, as I parse it as merely
}> anting, not wanting to merely know.
}
}I thought of it as "I just want _to know X_" (but I don't want e.g. a
}qutluch between my ribs), rather than "I just _want_ to know X" (but I
}don't e.g. _need_ to).

After a verb, {neH} trivializes the action of the verb, making it merely 
wanting, the meaning you seem to want.  After a noun, {neH} means only, and
I would accept the pronoun {'e'} that way, so ...
}
}Would <X 'e' neH vISov vIneH> be grammatically correct?
}As in "I want to know just X."

I would understand "X is the only thing I want to know."

}> } <toH!> jach tlhIngan wa'DIch. <bIHegh 'e' Dawuqpu'!>
}> } "So!" exclaims the third Klingon. "You have decided to die!"
}> There is a much-ignored rule forbidding the use of aspect suffixes on a verb
}> whose object is {'e'}.
}
}How about:
}<bIHegh 'e' Dawuq!> or
}<Dawuqpu'! bIHegh!> ?

Yes, either is fine.  "You decide to die" and "you have decided to die."
The aspect on the first verb applies to both sentences.

}> }<reH lugh charghwI'!!!>
}> }"The victor is always right!!!"
}> jIHaghqu'.  lut vIpolbej.
}
}DaparHa' 'e' vIparHa'!
}(A feeble attempt to say "I'm glad you liked it.")

Maybe {DaparHa'mo' jIbel} expreses it better.

}jIqawbe'. ghaH vIbejnISqa'.
}
}Hmm. Does <vIbejnISqa'> mean that it is the _needing_ that is being
}resumed, rather than the watching?

We sort this one out from context.  Same in English, really.  Some people
would say "I need again to watch this" if it was the need not the viewing
you ere talking about resuming, but I think most would use "I need to watch
it again" for both.

Qov     [email protected]
Beginners' Grammarian                 



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