tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Jun 25 11:18:53 1998
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Re: suffixes in comparative sentences
- From: Steven Boozer <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: suffixes in comparative sentences
- Date: Thu, 25 Jun 1998 13:17:32 -0500 (CDT)
[Here is a slightly REVISED summary of {law'/puS} constructions, now
including the text of the discussion in KGT p. 178ff. which I had previously
neglected.]
Okrand introduced the basic construction in TKD (p.70):
{A Q law' B Q puS} (A is Q-er than B). In this formula, A and B are the
two things being compared and Q is the quality which is being measured...
Any verb expressing a quality or condition may fit into the Q slot.
This was supplemented by KGT (p.178f.):
the way to say that something is more or greater than something else. In
Klingon,
this is expressed by a grammatical formula: {A Q law' B Q puS}, where A
and B are
the two items being compared as to a specific quality (Q), A having the
greater
amount of this quality (expressed by {law'}, "be many"), B the lesser
(expressed by
{puS} "be few"): {tlhIngan yoH law' verengan yoH puS ("The Klingon is
braver than
the Ferengi") ... In the superlative, the noun {Hoch} ("all") fits into
the B slot,
as in the normal sentence {tlhIngan yoH law' Hoch yoH puS} ("Klingons are the
bravest of all").
Examples from canon:
la' jaq law' yaS jaq puS
The commander is bolder than the officer. TKD
la' jaq law' Hoch jaq puS
The commander is boldest of all. TKD
'IwwIj jeD law' 'IwlIj jeD puS
My blood is thicker than yours
(an idiom for "I am much stronger than you.") PK
batlh potlh law' yIn potlh puS
Honor is more important than life. TKW
Okrand communicated privately with members of the Klingon Shakespeare
Restoration Project (HolQeD 4.2, p.3) that pronouns (being a subset of
nouns) could indeed be used with stative verbs. Thus, {SoH po' law' jIH po'
puS} is correct. One possible example from the movies:
qIbDaq SuvwI' SoH Dun law' Hoch Dun puS (??)
You would be the greatest warrior in the galaxy. ST5
A and B are not limited to simple nouns, but can be noun phrases:
targhlIj yab tIn law' no'lIj Hoch yabDu' tIn puS
Your targ has a bigger brain than all your ancestors put together! PK
reH latlh qabDaq qul tuj law' Hoch tuj puS
The fire is always hotter on someone else's face. PK
DujvamDaq tlhIngan nuH tu'lu'bogh pov law' Hoch pov puS 'ej DujvamDaq
'op SuvwI' tu'lu'bogh po' law' tlhIngan yo' SuvwI' law' po' puS
It [IKV Pagh] has the best weapons and some of the finest warriors in
the Klingon fleet. S7
tlhIngan qorDu' pong potlh law' Hoch potlh puS
Above all, the Klingon family name is highly valued. S13
A and B can also be verb phrases:
QamvIS Hegh qaq law' torvIS yIn qaq puS
Better to die on our feet than live on our knees
("Dying while standing is preferable to living while kneeling"). ST6 & TKW
The entire construction can be preceded by a modifying adverbial, location,
or subordinate clause:
reH latlh qabDaq qul tuj law' Hoch tuj puS
The fire is always hotter on someone else's face. PK
tlhutlhmeH HIq ngeb qaq law' bIQ qaq puS
Drinking fake ale is better than drinking water. TKW
noH ghoblu'DI' yay quv law' Hoch quv puS
In war there is nothing more honorable than victory. TKW
DujvamDaq tlhIngan nuH tu'lu'bogh pov law' Hoch pov puS 'ej DujvamDaq
'op SuvwI' tu'lu'bogh po' law' tlhIngan yo' SuvwI' law' po' puS
It [IKV Pagh] has the best weapons and some of the finest warriors in
the Klingon fleet. S7
tlhIngan wo' yuQmey chovlu'chugh Qo'noS potlh law' Hoch potlh puS
The principal planet of the Klingon Empire, Qo'noS... S27
And finally, there are playful or rhetorical variants for {law'/puS} (KGT
178ff):
Another kind of bending of the grammar involves the comparative
construction ...
As a form of word play, antonyms (that is, words with opposite meanings) other
than {law'} and puS} are sometimes plugged into the formula. The resulting
phrases
literally make no sense at all, but because of the uniqueness of the
{law'/puS}
phrases within Klingon grammar, they are always understood. Constructions
such as
the following might be heard, all meaning, thought not literally, "The
Klingon is
braver than the Ferengi":
tlhIngan yoH HoS verengan yoH puj.
tlhIngan yoH pIv verengan yoH rop.
tlhIngan yoH Daj verengan yoH qetlh.
Such fanciful use of words is found with the superlative construction
(something
is the most or the best) as well. ... It is possible, however, for
rhetorical effect,
to say such things as {tlhIngan yoH HoS Hoch yoH puj} ...
If one state of affairs is not inherently better or worse than its
opposite, the
terms may occur in either order. Once again comparing the brave Klingon
and the
not-so-brave Ferengi:
tlhIngan yoH jen verengan yoH 'eS
(or) tlhIngan yoH 'eS verengan yoH jen
tlhIngan yoH ghegh verengan yoH Hab
(or) tlhIngan yoH Hab verengan yoH ghegh
Some conditions, on the other hand, are more highly regarded than
others. In those
instances, it is essential to get the terms in the correct order. For
example, among
Klingons, a task that is difficult (Qatlh) is more highly valued than one
that is easy
(ngeD). Accordingly, in these creative comparative and superlative
constructions,
{Qatlh} is associated with the quality that is "many" and {ngeD} with the
quality that
is "few". To say "The Klingon is braver thant the Ferengi," one would have
to say
{tlhIngan yoH Qatlh verengan yoH ngeD}. Reversing the order of {Qatlh} and
{ngeD}
would produce the phrase {tlhIngan yoH ngeD verengan yoH Qatlh}, which, if
interpretable at all, would mean "The Klingon is less brave than the
Ferengi." Even if
one really meant it, uttering such a phrase could lead to unfortunate
consequences.
Again, if I've missed anything else Okrand has said on this (either on
startrek.klingon or in one of his books), please let me know.
- Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons