tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Oct 31 20:00:36 1997
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Re: "you will die without honor"
- From: Qov <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: "you will die without honor"
- Date: Fri, 31 Oct 1997 20:00:09 -0800
At 23:35 97-10-24 -0700, lots of people wrote about:
}ghItlh ghunchu'wI':
}
}>TKD Appendix: {tlhIngan Hol vIjatlhlaHbe'} "I don't speak Klingon."
}>The concept being negated is "can speak Klingon". I'm pretty sure this is
}>not saying anything about "cannot-speaking" the Klingon language -- which
}>would perhaps involve being compelled to be quiet when Klingon is involved?
Here's how I see it.
batlh bIHegh - you will die with honour
batlh bIHeghbe' - you will not die with honour
DujDaq yaS qan vIHoH maSoptaHvIS - I killed the old officer on the ship
while we were eating.
DujDaq yaS qan vIHoHbe' maSoptaHvIS - I didn't kill the old officer on the
ship while we were eating. (I killed the young officer? I killed him on
the planet? I just wounded him? I killed him while we were practicing with
our 'etlhmey?)
A sentence and its opposite. In Klingon, like a lot of Earth language, we
negate the verb to negate the thought. There is often ambiguity but we
either wait or ask for more information, or make reasonable assumptions.
"You won't die with honour."
"He'll not perform with skill."
In my opinion {batlh bIHeghbe'} means "You'll not die with honour." That
is, it means either that you'll die in a way that is not honourable, or
you'll honourably not die. And I'm sure smartass Klingon children say.
{teH. batlh jIHeghbe'. not jIHegh. batlh jIyIntaH}.
Qov [email protected]
Beginners' Grammarian