tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Sep 03 19:09:50 1997

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Re: Hoghvam vIttlegh qaq

At 02:42 PM 9/3/97 -0700, bI'reng wrote:
>qaq vIttlheghvam law', qaq vIttlhegh latlh puS.

The comparative law'/puS sentence has a very strange grammar.

First the thing that has more of the quality, then the quality, then {law'}
then the thing that has less of the quality, then the quality again, and
finally the word {puS}.  And we now know that latlh precedes the noun it
refers to.

vIttlheghvam qaq law' latlh vIttlhlegh qaq puS

> -jevpu'DI', mIghwI'pu' jeylu'pu', 'ach reH QamtaH quvwI'pu'.-
>
>nuq vIghojta'?
>
>1. The pronouns can be used as copula. This I always understood.
>2. The pronouns are not open for poetic license. This I learned.

I am happy to issue poetic licences in Klingon, but the would-be poet has to
first pass a Klingon driving test, demonstrating knowledge and understanding
of the rules before he can bend them.  Poetry does sometimes bend rules in
the interest of communication, but Seqram, SuStel and I couldn't see what
was being communicated with {chaHHa'}.

>3. They are used only when necessary. If there is a better choice, use it.

Probably a good way to look at it.

>I decided to drop -laH from quvlaHwI'pu' (wIquvmoHlaHchugh, wIquvmoHnIS).

I agree.  It didn't sound >quite< right to me with the {-laH}.   
{quvlaH} could theoretically be translated as "honourable" but in English
that's different from "able to be honoured."

>And all this about my proverb has inspired me to say few more.
>
>-bItuHlaHbe'chugh bIquvlaHbe'.- TKW
>-'etlhlIj ghorchugh, ro'lIj yIlo'!- bI'reng

"If it breaks your sword, use your fist."  vIparHa'.

>jIyInpu'. jIHeghpu'. 'ach reH jISuv.

maj. An interesting one to render in English, because it could be in presence 
past or future and it sounds different in each.  Best in Klingon where it is
all three at once.

"I [will] have lived.  I [will] have died.  But I [will] always fight/fought."

I would say {jISuvtaH} to indicate that the fighting is a continuous thing,
continuing through the living and dying.

>(Now, how do you use -latlh-, I think I have it right above, but I need to
>know for sure.)

We used to think it either went afterwards or couldn't be used in this way.
Now we know it goes before.  Our knowledge of tlhIngan Hol is a bit like our
knowledge of proper diet: we have a pretty good idea of most things but
there are plenty of issues like butter vs. margarine and the value of oat
bran that change with the seasons.

Qov  ([email protected])
Beginners' Grammarian

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