tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Sep 21 22:37:59 1997

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Re: yIjey'lu'



[email protected] on behalf of Alan Anderson wrote:
> TKD doesn't actually say that the recipient of a command has to be the
> *subject* of the command.  It merely gives a collection of prefixes to
> be used.  If the use of {-lu'} requires that the prefix be interpreted
> in the other direction, I don't see why it doesn't work.

Okay, then let me put it another way.  With {yI-}, the object of the verb must 
be "him," "her," "it," or "them," or some noun with one of these pronomial 
equivalents.  Let's take one as an example:

jeylu'
Someone defeats him.

Tell me what {yIjeylu'} means.  "Him" is still part of this, but "he" must be 
the one who is defeated.  If you're giving a command to "you," "you" obvously 
cannot perform this action, as the person who does is explicitly unspecified.

How about this one

HIjeylu'

What does this mean?  "Someone defeats me -- command"?  It makes no sense 
whatsoever.  Who's doing what to whom?

pejeylu'

Again, there is no sense here.  Who does what?  What is done to whom?  Where 
does the "you" come in?  (Even if it's not the subject, it's given to "you," 
and "you" has got to do something with it.)

Ultimately, I think the problem here is that you're trying to translate 
English passive voice into Klingon, which doesn't have a passive voice.

-- 
SuStel
qoH vuvbe' SuStel
Stardate 97725.5



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