tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Dec 03 08:42:59 1998
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Re: prepositional phrases
: >> I'm also looking for how to say, 'too much of <something>'.
: >
: > Where English says "too much", Klingon often merely emphasizes the
: > quality with the verb suffix {-qu'}. In TKD's appendix of useful
: > phrases, we find {tujqu'choH QuQ} "the engine is overheating."
:
: > -- ghunchu'wI'
:
: While this is true, on the online NEWS list Okrand once objected
: to my carrying that generalization too far. He suggested
: something that is a tool, though not an overly generalizeable
: one. Typically, it takes too sentences. "I'm too late for the
: meeting." {maghom vIneH 'ach jIpaS. nargh 'eb.} If I just said
: {jIpaSqu'} it would not necessarily mean that I was TOO late. It
: would just mean that I was VERY late. Maybe we could still meet.
: I show that I was TOO late for us to meet by stating that the
: opportunity escaped.
:
: This is simply something that you need to take on a case by case
: basis and translate the MEANING instead of falling back to some
: pat formula. "I wanted to buy the knife, but it was too
: expensive." {taj vIneH 'ach waghqu'mo' vIje'Qo'!} Just to say
: {waghqu'} is not enough to show that I would not still be
: willing to buy it. The whole meaning of "too expensive" is that
: because it is very expensive, I'm not willing to buy it.
:
: Basically, the English "too" in this sense means "the trait
: described here has crossed a threshold which changes the
: potential of the item carrying this trait". So, your job during
: translation is to decide exactly what that threshold is and what
: the consequences are of that crossing and explicitly describe
: the implied change of potential action relating to the crossed
: threshold.
:
: charghwI' 'utlh
To contribute what I do best, here are the relevant examples from Okrand's
post
on the STC NEWS (1/98) which charghwI' mentioned above:
jIpaSqu'mo' narghpu' qaSuchmeH 'eb
Because I'm very late, the opportunity to visit you has escaped.
qaSuch vIneH 'ach narghpu' 'eb. jIpaSqu'
I want to visit you, but the opportunity has escaped. I am very late.
qaSuchlaHbe'. jIpaSqu' vaj narghpu' 'eb
I cannot visit you. I am very late, thus the opportunity has escaped.
("I was too late to visit you.")
{-qu'} is usually translated 'very' or 'extremely' or the like (that
is, {paSqu'} means 'very late'), so if too late means very late, all
is well. But in the example sentence (I was too late to visit you),
the phrase too late doesn't mean very late; it means excessively late
or overly late. Thus using {paSqu'} might not be the best course in
the first place. It doesn't get across the idea of going beyond some
cutoff point.
... followed by some other canonical examples and pronouncements on {-qu'}
"emphatic: very, too (much)". You'll note the various ways Okrand uses and
translates this very useful suffix:
This suffix emphasizes or affirms whatever immediately precedes it.
{yIHaDqu'} "study him/her well", {nuQaw'qu'be'} "they have not finished
us off". The roving nature of {-qu'} can be seen in the following set:
{pIHoHvIpbe'qu'} "we are NOT afraid to kill you", {pIHoHvIpqu'be'} "we
are not AFRAID to kill you", {pIHoHqu'vIpbe'} "we are not afraid to KILL
you. The first word might be used after an enemy challenged the bravery
of the speaker. The second might be followed by an explanation such as,
"We are not willing to kill you because we require your services." The
third word would be used to emphasize killing, as opposed to some other
form of punishment... The rover {-qu'} emphatic may follow verbs
functioning adjectivally. In this usage, it is usually translated "very".
{Dujmey tInqu'} "very big ships", {wanI' ramqu'} "a very unimportant
event". If a Type 5 noun suffix is used (section 3.3.5), it follows the
verb, which, when used to modify the noun in this way, can have no other
suffix except the rover {-qu'} "emphatic". The Type 5 noun suffix follows
{-qu'} ... {veng tInqu'Daq} "in the very big city". (TKD p.48ff)
Various devices are employed when it is necessary to talk about colors more
precisely. The suffix {-qu'} is useful as in {Doqqu'} (red) and {SuDqu'}
(green). (KGT p.82)
In speaking about a fine weapon, one could compliment it even further
by adding the emphatic {-qu'} to {vaQ}. A really spectacular bat'leth
would be a {betleH vaQqu'}. (KGT p.67)
yIHaDqu'
Study him well. TKD
Qatlhqu'.
Most difficult. ST5
nom yIghoSqu'!
Maximum speed. ST5
po'qu'.
He's good. ST5
HoSghajqu'
Too potent. (i.e. Romulan ale) CK
jIDoy'qu'.
I am very tired. PK
jIghungqu'.
I am very hungry. PK
naDev Dochvetlh qemqu'!
I really mean it this time! Bring that here! PK
Qapqu' wovmoHbogh janHommey!
It even has working lights! (Hallmark)
tIqIpqu' 'ej nom tIqIp
Hit them hard and hit them fast. TKW
bortaS nIvqu' 'oH bortaS'e'
Revenge is the best revenge. TKW
'etlh QorghHa'lu'chugh ragh 'etlh nIvqu' 'ej jejHa'choH
Even the best blade will rust and grow dull unless it is
cared for. TKW
Heghlu'DI' mobbe'lu'chugh QaQqu' Hegh wanI'
Death is an experience best shared. TKW
bIQapqu'meH tar DaSop 'e' DatIvnIS
To really succeed, you must enjoy eating poison. TKW
yIntaHbogh qagh jablu'DI' reH nIvqu' qagh
Gagh is always best when served live. TKW
nI'be' yInmaj 'ach wovqu'
Our lives burn short and bright. (Anthem)
batlh maHeghbej 'ej yo' qIjDaq vavpu'ma' DImuv. pa' reH maSuvtaHqu'
Then we die with honor and join our fathers in the Black Fleet where
we battle forever. (Anthem)
pInaDqu' tuqlIj wInaDqu' je
Glory to you and your house.
("We praise you highly; we also praise your house highly") KGT
'ejyo' luch rurbe'qu' tlhIngan Duj luch.
Klingon starship design is vastly different from Starfleet
technology. SP3
HoS law'qu' luch law'qu' je lo' Duj nuH pat Hub pat je
A huge amount of the ship's power and technology is devoted to its
weapons grid and defensive systems. SP3
qorDu' SaHlu'chugh 'ej matlhlu'chugh vaj wa' tlhIngan ghob potlhqu'
devotion and loyalty to family is one of the most important Klingon
virtues. S13
yIntaHbogh tlhIngan Soj tlhol jablu'DI' tIvqu'lu'
Klingon food is best when served fresh and live. S21
HoS law'qu' natlhmo' So'wI'
Due to the tremendous energy drain of a cloaking device... S33
If you want to highlight the notion of "most prefer," you can use the emphatic
suffix {-qu'}:
jar DamaSqu'bogh yIngu'
What/which is your favorite month?
("Identify the month that you very much prefer!")
In this case, since prefer involves making a choice, the one chosen
is automatically the one that is most preferred. (STC NEWS)
_________________________________________________________________________
Voragh "Grammatici certant et adhuc sub judice
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons lis est." Horace (Ars Poetica)