tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Oct 31 20:00:48 1997

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Re: KLBC comparative/question



At 12:39 97-10-28 -0800, Doneq wrote:
}If I want to make a question of a comparative sentence, such as:
}
}SoH HoS law' ghaH HoS puS
}You are stronger than him
}
}can I do this:
}
}SoH HoS law''a' ghaH HoS puS?
}   or
}SoH HoS law' ghaH HoS puS'a'?
}   or
}SoH HoS law''a' ghaH HoS puS'a'?
}Are you stronger than him?

The grammar of {law'/puS} is so strange and unique that we don't kno what
can be done with it, but two pieces of evidence suggest the answer to your
question is no.  1. We've  never seen anything but a pure {law'/puS} with no
affixes on {law'} or {puS} in canon and 2. the fact that you can substitute
anothe verb pair entirely and still be understandable implies a rigid
unalterable grammar for the construction.

If any is corerct I think it would be the one with both verbs marked, but I
wouldn't do it myself.

}or should I do this:
}
}SoH HoS law' ghaH HoS puS 'e' teH'a'?
}Is it true that you are stronger than him?

This one doesn't work, because the thing that is true is the subject of the
verb {teH} and, as I'm sure you've heard me say, {'e'} indicates only the
sentence that is the OBJECT of the second verb.

}or should I do something else I didn't think of yet? (I'm not sure of 
}the {'e'} in this sentence)

How about 
SoH HoS law' ghaH HoS puS 'e' DaHar'a'?
SoH HoS law' ghaH HoS puS net Sov'a'?
SoH HoS law' ghaH HoS puS.  teH'a'?
boSuvchuqchugh bIQap'a'?
nagh'e' woHlaHbe'bogh ghaH DawoHlaH'a'?


Qov     [email protected]
Beginners' Grammarian                 



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