tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Oct 13 21:37:52 1997
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Re: KLBC:courtroom
- From: "William H. Martin" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: KLBC:courtroom
- Date: Tue, 14 Oct 1997 00:38:40 -0400 ()
- Priority: NORMAL
On Mon, 13 Oct 1997 15:03:07 -0700 (PDT) Qov <[email protected]>
wrote:
> At 10:55 97-10-13 -0700, you wrote:
> }Hi guys, qa'SuvwI' here.
...
> }*Judge*:nuq'e' Dajatlh WHAT did you say
> We had arguments about two differnt aspects of this sentence last month.
> Let's see if I can summarize.
> 1. Because the thing said in reported speech is not the object of the verb
> of saying ({jIghung jIjatlh} - "I said I was hungry"), some argue that the
> question word asking about what was said shouldn't be the object of the verb
> of saying either. I don't agree, but people may still follow up to say this
> is wrong. In my opinion {nuq'e' bIjatlh} means "You said {nuq'e'}" and
> {nuq'e' Dajatlh} has the meaning you want.
jIQochbe'.
> 2. {nuq} isn't actually a noun, so the type 5 noun suffix {-'e'} might not
> belong on it. I have been criticized for using {'Iv} and {nuq} too much
> like nouns.
I don't have a problem with this kind of suffix on these
question words. Meanwhile, we have the special word {nuqjatlh?}
specifically for this meaning. I think with vocal inflection,
the meaning sought by {nuq'e' Dajatlh?} could be carried by it
and I'd expect {nuq'e' Dajatlh} to be rather marked.
To convey the flavor difference, I'd expect {nuqjatlh} to sound
like "What did you say?" while {nuq'e' Dajatlh} to sound like,
"What are the words that you just spoke towards me?" It's not
necessarily wrong. It's just that there is something like an
idiom that is always used in this instance, and you are
expressing the same thought less efficiently and less
conventionally.
>> qa'SuvwI', yIghojtaH. :)
>
> Qov [email protected]
> Beginners' Grammarian
charghwI'
former BG, a couple generations removed.