tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Jul 16 10:26:53 1998
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Re: Fwd: Re: QoghIj qaD
- From: "William H. Martin" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: QoghIj qaD
- Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 13:26:48 -0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
- In-Reply-To: <[email protected]>
- Priority: NORMAL
On Thu, 16 Jul 1998 08:06:36 -0700 (PDT) Qermaq
<[email protected]> wrote:
> ghItlh charghwI':
>
> >The problem is not with the word {nuq}. It is with the meaning
> >of having a question acting as the object of {neH}, or any other
> >verb. Okrand said it doesn't work and I agree with him.
>
> The argument here is that perhaps <neH> is a special case. Perhaps it acts
> with the verb. Perhaps it doesn't - I am willing to forget it. But how do we
> say it? The QAO seemed so concise...
>
> What do you need to eat? nuq DaSopnIS
>
> What are you willing to eat? nuq DaSopqang
Careful! You are heading down the same path I've gone, noticing
that {neH} seems an awful lot like a suffix instead of a
separate verb. Do you have any idea how much flak I've caught
for that theory? Meanwhile, since different people can do the
wanting, {neH} is not going to become a suffix. It is stuck in
limbo, and one of the things it doesn't get to do is slide into
a question like this because you can't have the wanting and the
eating sharing the same direct object, and you can't have a
question acting as a direct object. Otherwise, you get: "You
want that what do you eat?" which is gibberish.
> What do you want to eat? Now I guess we have to recast. Hmmm... <vay' DaSop
> DaneHchugh vaj HIja'!> Still doesn't make the answer the thing the addressee
> wants to eat... grrrrrrrrr...
Soj DaneHbogh yI'agh!
Recasting is only awkward when you hold too tightly to the words
chosen well for the wrong language.
> >I honestly believe you are mistranslating gibberish into a
> >sensible English sentence because that which you wish to say is
> >simple to say in English, even though it violates Klingon
> >grammer to do so.
>
> I just want to re-state - The context of my use of <nuq vIje' vIneH> was
> like a quiz show question. (*Britian*ngan jIHbe' 'ej jI*yID*be'.) (Remember,
> folks, ** means don't bother lookin' it up.) But at first glance (and indeed
> at numerous subsequent glances) it looked fine. I also challenged listers
> to come up with alternatives. I have seen none. Surely there is some way to
> ask another Klingon what they want to eat?
Soj DaneHbogh yI'agh.
> Qermaq
charghwI'