tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Nov 24 09:16:48 1997

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Re: Two imperatives in a row?



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>Date: Fri, 7 Nov 1997 12:34:42 -0800 (PST)
>From: "David Trimboli" <[email protected]>
>
>bIjeghbe'chugh vaj bIHegh
>Surrender or die.
>
>This is a single sentence with a subordinate clause, an adverbial, and a main 
>verb.  In English it's two imperative sentences with a conjunction between 
>them.  Klingon seems to avoid saying "<Do this> or <do that>"

True, and therefore I try to do the same when speaking Klingon.  But
somehow I get the feeling that when Klingons learn English and come across
"surrender or die!" as the translation for "bIjeghbe'chugh vaj bIHegh",
they must grin and nod and be struck by the beauty and directness of the
*English* construction for a change, at how Klingon-style the English
is... even more Klingon in feel than the actual Klingon phrase!  That
doesn't make "*yIjegh ghap/qoj yIHegh" any more correct or sound any less
wrong to their ears... but maybe they might catch themselves wishing that
Klingon could work that way too.

Hey, admiration of the way languages work can run in both directions!

~mark

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