tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Sep 10 20:14:36 1997

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Re: KLBC: (Requiem) fixed loS'DIch 'ay'

At 11:59 AM 9/10/97 -0700, Qermaq wrote:
>ghItlh Edy:
>> nuq jIjalth 
>> What I will say?
>
>'ej ghItlh Qov:
>>Treat nuq as the object of the verb, so use the verb prefix {vI-}.
>>nuq vIjatlh?
>
>'ach ghItlh ~mark:
>> Verbs of speaking use conjoined phrases, yes, IN EITHER
>>ORDER, and what's more the thing said is not considered the object
>>(the verb-prefix is no-object or reflects the indirect object, the
>>person addressed).
>
>If Mark is correct,

Mark is correct.  SuStel suspected that fo a while and Marc recently 
confirmed it on MSN.

>then I would assume that Qov's question asks "!
>speak in what language?", not "What will I say?". 

I thought about this very objection as I wrote the reply, but didn't 
write out my justification.

{nuq jIjatlh} means: "I say 'nuq?'" The exact word spoken, followed 
by the verb jatlh with a no object prefix. 
{nuq vIjatlh} means "What [thing] do/shall/did I say?" Shall I say a 
word?  a sentence? a speech?  a commendation? a plea? my name? 
Yes the answer could also be the name of a language.  {jatlh} has 
many possible objects.  We know that the exact words spoken are not 
the object.

>I think perhaps nuq jIjatlh is better. 

I understand your reasoning for this argument and accept it as a 
possibility. jIQoch.  bImujchu' jIjatlhQo' 'ach bImujlaw' 
jIjatlhqang.  

>I wish I understood exactly what was being translated in context - 
>haven't heard a Requiem in a while.

not *Requiem* vIQoypu' jIH.  Translating such a thing is not a 
beginner's project anyway, so all I am doing is helping Edy produce a 
series of grammatically correct Klingon sentences that carry some of 
the meaning of the English sentences he is providing.  Presumably the 
result bears some relation to a Latin original which I have never 
seen and would only slightly understand anyway.

>(I also wish I understood jatlh better...)

Maybe I can help.
jatlh, ja', tlhob and other "verbs of speaking"  can be used alone 
with no object:
{jatlh SoS} - The mother speaks.
They can be used with objects that are the name of the thing said.
{SoQ Dajatlh} - You give [lit: speak] a speech.
{tlhIngan Hol wIjalth} - We speak Klingon.
{lut boja'} - You tell the story.
They can be used with a person as an object, to indicate who is being 
addressed.
{qajatlh} - I am speaking to you.
{nItlhob} - They ask you.
They can be used adjacent to other words, to indicate 
reported speech, optionally taking as an object the first or second 
person addressee of the words.
Just write what was expressed, in the same words as or as if they were
spoken to the person, then precede or follow it by a verb of saying with no
object, or the addressee as object.
wa'leS jIDoy' jIjatlh - I said I would be tired the next day.

Reported speech is weird in English, we change the aspect and the 
person of verbs, but this is long enough already so I'm deleting tonne o'
examples and just sending it.  

Qov  ([email protected])
Beginners' Grammarian

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