tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sat Jul 18 07:52:10 1998
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Re: KLBC more simple sentences
- From: Robyn Stewart <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: KLBC more simple sentences
- Date: Sat, 18 Jul 1998 07:50:45 -0700 (PDT)
---dragonwulf <[email protected]> wrote:
> I hope Qov has sharpened that red pencil of hers because
> I'm about to mangle--err, ummm, that is, try Klingon again.
> Ahem, here goes...
Dragonwulf, qaStaHvIS poH nI' qaleghbe'taH -- haven't seen you in a
while. Read the sections I have pointed out to you for more
information.
> choDev DevwI' Daq
> {Take me to your leader}
Three things to learn from this sentence:
1. Imperative prefixes (section 4.1.2): when your statement directly
tells someone to do something or not do something, whether it's an
order, a caution or a request, you select from a differnt set of
prefixes than the ones in 4.1.1.
"Be careful" - yIyep
"Take it" - yItlhap
"Lead me" - HIDev
2. Possessive suffixes (3.3.4)
You left the idea of "your" out of your Klingon sentence. Express it
by adding a suffix to the noun. "Your" for an object or an animal
would be /-lIj/ but here "leader" is a "being capable of using
language" so you use -lI'
DevwI'lI' - your leader
3. Locations/destinations with -Daq (3.3.5)
Do not use suffixes as stand-alone words. Only use them attached to
words. For /-Daq/, attach it to the word that is the location or the
destination of the action of the sentence. And the location with -Daq
always goes *before* the rest of the sentence.
DevwI'lI'Daq HIDev - Take me to your leader.
> vIleghnIS
> {I need to see him}
maj.
> muleghrup'a'
> {Is he ready to see me?}
majQa'.
> DevwI' vIjatlhta'
> {I spoke to the leader}
The perfective suffix /-ta'/ makes the translation more like "I have
spoken to the leader" or "I had spoken to the leader." It makes more
sense without it in this narrative.
> maQochchuqpu' vaj vIHoH rIntaH
> {We disagreed so I killed him}
The perfective /-pu'/ is not best on /Qoch/, because you didn't kill
him on accound of having completed disagreeing with him. You killed
him because of a disagreement at the time you killed him. Please note
that Klingon does not have a past tense marker, like English "-ed" so
"We disagreed so I killed him" could be written, /maQoch vaj vIHoH/.
/Qoch/ means "disagree" not "diagree with" so /Qochchuq/ looks like it
would mean "disagree each other." Plain /maQoch/ avoids this.
> DaH nIDev jIH
> {Now I am their leader(Now I lead them)}
Oops, wrong prefix. Have another look at the table.
> DaH 'etlhwIj vISay'nIS
> {I need to clean my sword now}
Almost. /Say'/ is "be clean" You need to show "cause to be clean" or
"cause to become clean." /vISay'nISchoHmoH/ "I cause it to change to
become clean" i.e. "I clean it." Look at /nuqDaq waqwIj
vIlamHa'choHmoH/ in the appendix.
lutlIj vItIv. majQa'.
==
Qov - Beginners' Grammarian
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