tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Jul 15 13:40:54 1998
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Re: KLBC Sentence Structure Question
- From: Robyn Stewart <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: KLBC Sentence Structure Question
- Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 13:38:07 -0700 (PDT)
--Katie Moncelsi wrote:
>
> I'm trying to translate a short story I wrote into
> Klingon. I have a
> question about sentence structure. If you had a
> sentence like:
> I like this, but not that.
> In Klingon would the whole sentence be
> backwords.
Please don't think of Klingon sentences as being 'backwards.' There
are two reasons.
One is that they aren't: Yes, the Object-Verb-Subject is the reverse
of the Subject-Verb-Object of MOST English sentences, but other
sentence elements have their specific, required places, which may or
may not conform to the way English does it. You stil read from left
to right and ideas must follow one another logically. And a sentence
like "What is it?" translated into Klingon is /nuq 'oH/ literally
"What it?"
The other reason is that if you go around thinking of Klingon as
backwards, when you finally start to think in Klingon you will write
the sentences backwards to the way you think they should be, making
them wrong again!
> or would it be like this,
> This like I, but that not.
> I'm getting better at translating. But am now having
> grammar problems
The sentence
> I like this, but not that.
translated into Klingon requires more than just a change in word
order. I'd like you to please give it a try in Klingon. Here's two
hints:
1. In Klingon you have to say "this thing" or "this idea" or "this
food" -- you can't just say "this."
2. In Klingon "not" is not a separate word.
When I see what you come up with I'll be able to tell what you need to
learn, and help you out.
==
Qov - Beginners' Grammarian
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