tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Sep 18 09:07:48 1997
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Re: Birth anouncement
- From: Qov <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: Birth anouncement
- Date: Thu, 18 Sep 1997 09:07:39 -0700 (PDT)
At 02:53 AM 9/18/97 -0700, M'Sa'la wrote:
> jI qem SuHoch Sov! lop!
I think this is intended to mean: I bring you all news. Rejoice!
Take another look at sections 6.1 and 4.1.1. This sentence needs to be
rearranged to fit Klingon syntax, and I'll go over how you need to use the
prefixes.
Section 6.1 tells you to use Object-Verb-Subject (OVS) word order, with
other stuff first. The object is the thing brought: {Sov} - knowledge. The
verb is the action you are taking, {qem} - bring. And the subject is you,
"I". You have some "other stuff" {Hoch} - all, the beneficiary of your action.
And now prefixes. The prefixes 1) cannot be used as independent words 2)
can only go on verbs and 3) rarely translate smoothly into English just by
replacing them with the subject and object they designate.
This means that you may not place {jI-} alone and call it a word, and it
means that {*SuHoch} is not a word, because {Hoch} is a noun.
{qaSaw} means "I thee wed." Do you see how that works? You consider the
subject (who/what is doing the action of a sentence), and the object
(who/what is being acted upon). You take these two pieces of information to
the table on page 33, you look up the corresponding prefix, and you place
that prefix on the verb. "I see" : subject "I", no object. The prefix for
I-none is {jI-}. The verb "see" is {legh}. I put them together to get
{jIlegh}. Notice I don't need a separate word for "I" because the idea of
"I" is contained in the prefix. "I see you guys" : subject "I", object: you
(plural). Going across the table at subject=I ... we find the "subject I -
object you (plural)" prefix is {Sa-}. So {Salegh} means "I see you (plural)."
So putting *that* knowledge together, you get {Sov vIqem} for I bring knowledge.
The other stuff in your sentence, {Hoch} goes before the rest of the
sentence, and receives the type 5 noun suffix {-vaD} (Section 3.3.5) to
indicate that it is the beneficiary of the action.
{HochvaD Sov vIqem} - I bring everyone knowledge.
(There is another way to do this, using the prefix to indicate an indirect
object, but I'm not going to confuse you with it yet, because I think the
above is quite enough to digest in one sitting.)
> *DebI be'ru'Seytar* muv batlh Seghma'
Now that you know correct word order you can rearrange this into the correct
word order: other stuff, object, verb, subject. Also the suffix {-ma'} for
our only goes on speaking beings. Although our race is *composed* of
speaking beings, it isn't itself a speaking being. So use the non-speaking
suffix, {-maj}.
batlh Seghmaj muv *DebI be'ruSeytar*
Debbie Brewster joins our race with honour.
> ! tlhIngan maH!
maj.
> wanI'vam qaS Hovdate 97733.7!
Again OVS, and the stardate is "other stuff." We have a word {HovpoH} for
stardate.
HovpoH 97733.7 qaS wanI'vam.
This event took place on stardate 97733.7.
> Quch qoS DebI!
I'll assume this means "Happy Birthday, Debbie!" To express a wish that
something be true, we use the type 9 verb suffix {-jaj}
{Qujjaj qoS} - may the birthday be happy.
> loDnallI', SIqS
"Your husband, Sixx"?
> reHtay' ghot tuqDaj je, bomDI' 'IwwIj qaqaw!
These two are from TKW. Note that {reH tay'} is two words.
Qov ([email protected])
Beginners' Grammarian