tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Oct 14 13:16:48 1997
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
Re: KLBC: Bermuda
- From: Qov <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: KLBC: Bermuda
- Date: Tue, 14 Oct 1997 13:16:35 -0700
At 16:37 97-10-03 -0700, maSwov wrote:
}Qov - here goes!
ghaqchoH latlh chu'wI'! maDo'bej.
Another newcomer starting to contribute. We are indeed fortunate.
}maSwov pongwIj - my name is maSwov
When you use a pronoun to say "X is Y" you can just put the subject directly
after the object: {tlhIngan maH} "We are Klingons" or {maSwov 'oH} "it is
moonlight." When the subject is a noun, however, you have to do something a
little fancier. This is explained in section 6.3 of TKD. You use the
pronoun AND the noun, with the type 5 'topic' suffix {-'e'} on the noun.
Like this:
{maSwov 'oH pongwIj'e'} "My name, it is maSwov." = "My name is maSwov"
}Bermuda jIyIn - I live in Bermuda
In Klingon {yIn} is used to mean "be alive" and we've just learned that the
verb "live in/at" is {Dab}. Note that the idea of "in" or "at" is already
included in the verb. The place lived in seems to be the object.
{Bermuda vIDab} Notice the prefix (vI-} for a first person singular subject
with a third person object.
}pIqaD nId wa'DIchwIj - this is my first attempt at writing Klingon
This is a difficult but popular sentence to translate. Have another look at
the vocabulary. The word {nID} (always capital D) is a verb only, not a
noun, as far as we know. The word {pIqaD} actually represents the Klingon
writing system: the marks that Klingons use to write. See page 11, the
dictionary section doesn't make this clear. In English "first" can act as a
noun, but in Klingon {wa'DIch} is chuvmey and I'm not happy putting noun
suffixes on it. (*)
I suggest you rewrite this sentence as:
"I have never written Klingon. Now I will begin to write Klingon."
Three hints:
see section 5.4 for here to put the ord that means "never."
use a suffix from section 4.2.7 to indicate that your never writing Klingon
*Nitpickers' Note: Yes, we have once seen Marc Okrand use a noun suffix on
{wejDIch}, in {qep'a' wejDIchDaq}, but this could be a special case, like
{Duj tInDaq}, and not an indication that ordinal numbers can be used as
nouns. Yes, we also have seen cha'DIch used as a noun meaning "second" in a
duel or trial, but that doesn't mean any ordinal can be a noun in any situation.
Now I try to write Klingon. I have never written Klingon
}HIQaH! - Help me!
mu'tlheghvamvaD qaQaHnISbe'. I don't need to help you with this sentence.
It's fine.
}I have been checking the messages here for a few weeks and have finally
plucked
}up the courage to write!
I very rarely hit people with painstiks for their grammar, and when I do --
but don't tell anyone -- I use a really low setting so it just makes noise
and doesn't actually hurt.
}I now await your masses of corrections!
In general it's minor corrections with masses of explanation. If I don't
explain every nuance I get nitpicked later. I don't always have the time to
make it short.
Qov [email protected]
Beginners' Grammarian