tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Aug 11 12:49:43 1998
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Re: In Which Qov Fixes Foolish Mistakes Made By Lt. Cdr. Barrows
- From: Steven Boozer <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: In Which Qov Fixes Foolish Mistakes Made By Lt. Cdr. Barrows
- Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 14:48:01 -0500 (CDT)
: Qov said:
: >>And you do know better than to use /'e' jatlh/ with the object being
: the words said. You meant /jIjatlhpu''a'/ without /'e'/.<<
:
: I do? I always thought that was legal. You're going to point me at a
: section of TKD again, aren't you?
:
: Lt. Cdr. Sarah Barrows, Starfleet
Ahem... allow me:
"Similarly, with verbs of saying (say, tell, ask, etc.), {'e'} and {net} are
not used. The two phrases simply follow one another, in either order:
{qaja'pu' HIqaghQo'} or {HIqaghQo' qaja'pu'} 'I told you not to interrupt
me'. This is literally, 'I told you, "Don't interrupt me!"' or '"Don't
interrupt me!" I told you.' ... An aspect marker (here, {-pu'} perfective)
may always be attached to the verb of saying, regardless of whether it is
the first or second verb." (TKD p.67)
And from Okrand's extended post on {jatlh} on the Expert Forum BBS (6/97):
"The object of {jatlh} 'speak' is that which is spoken. Thus, it's OK to say
'speak a language', for example {tlhIngan Hol Dajatlh} 'you speak Klingon'.
But it's also OK to say 'speak an address, speak a lecture', for example
{SoQ Dajatlh} 'you speak an address' or, more colloquially, 'you deliver an
address' or 'you make a speech'. To say simply {jatlh} 'he/she speaks'
implies 'he/she speaks it', where 'it' is a language or a lecture or
whatever. The indirect object of {jatlh}, when expressed, is the
hearer/listener. Thus {qama'pu'vaD tlhIngan Hol Dajatlh} 'you speak Klingon
to the prisoners', {qama'pu'vaD SoQ Dajatlh} 'you make a speech to the
prisoners'. When the indirect object (in this case, the hearer) is first or
second person, the pronominal prefix which normally indicates first or
second person object may be used. ... There's another wrinkle to this. The
verb {jatlh} can also be used when giving direct quotations: {tlhIngan jIH
jatlh} 'he/she says, "I am a Klingon",' {jatlh tlhIngan jIH} 'he/she says,
"I am a Klingon".' (With verbs of saying, such as {jatlh}, the phrase that
is being said or cited may come before or after the verb.) If the speaker is
first or second person, the pronominal prefix indicating 'no object' is
used: {tlhIngan jIH jIjatlh} 'I say, "I am a Klingon",' {tlhIngan jIH
bIjatlh} 'you say, "I am a Klingon".' There are instances where the
pronominal prefix marks a big distinction in meaning: {tlhIngan Hol Dajatlh}
'you speak Klingon' [vs.] {tlhIngan Hol bIjatlh} 'you say, "Klingon
language"' [that is you say the phrase 'Klingon language']."
Voragh Grammatici certant et adhuc sub judice
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons lis est." Horace (Ars Poetica)