tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Oct 17 09:24:37 1997
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Re:
At 12:24 97-10-12 PDT, James Bridgewater wrote:
} ghIlth jIH. Nicholas James Bridgewater jIH.
} I am GhItlh. I am Nicholas James Bridgewater.
I say {Qov jIH} all the time, but some people object and feel it means "I am
*a* Qov" (whatever that might be, I hope it's something good).
} Ewok-Hutt AllianceDaq ghItlhwI' jIH.
}I am a writer in the Ewok-Hutt Alliance.
A {ghItlhwI'} in Klingon has more of the connotation of a scribe, the person
who writes things out, marks them down or engraves them in stone than the
English word "writer" hich implies the person composes the stories, too.
Klingons use {qonwI'} for the later meaning. This isn't in TKD: Marc Okrand
clarified it in an issue of HolQeD.
} ghojwI' Hutt Hol 'ej Ewok Hol chaH Ewok-Hutt Alliance'e'.
} The Ewok-Huttle Alliance are students in the Huttese
} and Ewokese languages.
"The E-H alliance are Huttian of students and Ewokian."
The best way to say this in Klingon is without the "is." As well as you seem
to understand the pronoun as to-be structure, please don't try to use it for
everything. Say "The E-H alliance studies Huttish and Ewokian."
Ewok Hol Hutt Hol je HaDtaH E-H boq
Notice that the word for "and" joining the two languages is {je} not {'ej}
(which joins sentences) and that it goes *after* all the nouns.
}ghoj ([email protected])
}Learn ([email protected])
I take it this is an imperative? You're telling us to learn this e-mail
address? In Klingon the Object of the sentence goes before the verb, and
for a command you use an imperative prefix. See p. 34 of TKD. In this case:
<email> yIghoj.
}Ewoks are funny!
}ewoknganpu' chaH tlhaQ'e'
Although the verb to be is used in the English version, this isn't a to be
sentence in Klingon. The 'to be' structure you are using her is only used
to say "<noun1> is <noun2>" where noun1 and noun2 could also be noun
phrases. In Klingon to say something "is" some state or quality (funny,
tired, blue, happy, irritated...) you simply make that something the subject
of a stative verb that means "be <quality>". In this case:
{tlhaQ *ewok*pu'} "Ewoks are funny."
}Ewoks are funny?
}ewonknganpu' chaH tlhaQ'e''a'
To make it a question, put {-'a'} on the verb.
tlhaQ'a' *ewok*pu'?
}Hutts are smugglers
}Huttnganpu' chaH *smuggle*wI'pu' 'e'
Actually this says the reverse. "Smugglers are inhabitants of Hutt."
And again, don't use to be when you don't have to. More natural to say
"Hutts smuggle." Perhaps {teng Hat qeng Huttpu'} "Huts carry illegal cargo."
}Ewoks are tribbles
}ewoknganpu' chaH yIHmey'e'
Again backwards.
}You like Star Wars? or Do you like Star Wars?
}HovDaq veSmey bIparHa''a'
I would have translates "Star Wars" simply as {Hov veS}.
You are asking someone if they like something, so the verb takes an object,
so the prefix must reflect that. {DaparHa''a'}
}Yes, I like Star Wars!
}Hija', HovDaq veSmey jIparHa'
For the same reason, {vIparHa'}
}Why do you like Star Wars!
}nuq HovDaq veSmey bIparHa'
{qatlh} is "why." And the prefix problem persists.
qatlh Hov veS DaparHa'?
}Ewokese is a language!
}ewok Hol 'oH Hol'e'!
This continues to be backwards, and it sounds a little obvious in Klingon
because of the word Hol on both sides. Consider some similar sentences in
English:
"A western fir is a fir" and "a Douglas fir is not a fir." They don't
really make sense until I qualify: "A western fir is a true fir." You can
do this in Klingon witht he noun suffix {-na'} (section 3.3.3).
{Holna' 'oH ewok Hol'e'} - Ewok Hol is an undoubted language.
or with a verb suffix stressing certainty
{Hol 'oHbej E. Hol'e'} - E. is definitely a language.
}Huttese is a language too!
}Hutt Hol 'oH Hol je'e'!
Still inverted, and the {je} to indicate "also" goes after the verb, or in
this case the pronoun acting as a verb (notice that the suffix in the
previous sentence went on the pronoun).
Holna' 'oH je Hutt Hol'e'
Holna' 'oH Hutt Hol'e'
}Nicholas speaks some Huttese
}Hutt HolHom jatlh nIqolaS
The {-Hom} on Hol indicates not "a little bit of Hol" but a minor variant of
Hol. Sounds like he speaks a Hol dialect. To indicate a relatively small
amount, use the verb {puS}.
{Hutt Hol puS jatlh N.}
{puS} here is a stative verb acting as an adjective. See section 4.4 for
details.
}Do you speak Huttese?
}Hutt Hol Dajatlh'a'?
qay'be'.
}I will teach you!
}qaghojmoH!
maj. These sentences are addressing one person. You might want to consider
using the prefixes for a plural you when addressing the group. Or you can
consider you are addressing each person individually.
}You can ask me!
}chotlhob!
{chotlhoblaH} to indicate ability "can ask". It's a type 5 verb suffix
described in 4.2.5. Or, use sentence as object to say {chotlhob 'e'
vIchaw'} "I permit you to ask me" Whichever you meant.
}What is the Ewok-Hutt Alliance?
}nuq 'oH ewok-Hutt DIvI'?
nuq 'oH ewok-Hut DIvI''e'.
Don't forget the -'e' on the topic noun.
vocab note: {DIvI'} is Federation. Alliance is {boq}.
}Write to me!
}choghItlh!
This is a statement not a comand, and it says "You mark me." {ghItlh} as I
said above is the physical process of making marks. Perhaps: {jabbI'ID
HIlab} "send me a transmission."
Qov [email protected]
Beginners' Grammarian