tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Mar 25 17:14:51 1998
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Re: jatlhwI' chu'
- From: Qov <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: jatlhwI' chu'
- Date: Wed, 25 Mar 1998 17:12:43 -0800
At 18:25 98-03-23 -0800, HovyItwI' wrote:
}nuqneH
qaqIHmo' jIbel, HovyItwI'. Qov 'oH pongwIj'e'. I'm the beginners'
grammarian, the currently designated person to correct the work of newcomers
first, so they don't get smammed with contradictory advice. Apres moi, le
deluge.
}pongwIj 'oH HovyItwI''e'
Don't forget the OVS sentence order. {HovyItwI' 'oH pongwIj'e'} is the
straightforeward way to say "My name is Starwalker."
}wa'maH Hut ben jIboghpu'
maj.
}tlhIngan Hol vIjatlh 'e' vIchu'
I can tell you want to say "I am new at speaking Klingon" and that you're
trying to fit it into the sentence as object (SAO) construction, but SAO
requires that the first sentence be the object of the second sentence, and
that's not the case here.
Stative verbs, those defined with "be" like {chu'} "be new" don't take
objects. You don't "new something." You're just new.
A sentence that uses {'e'} properly could be:
{tlhIngan Hol vIjatlh 'e' vInID} "I try to speak Klingon"
Notice that "I speak Klingon" is the object of "I try," the thing tried.
To express your thought, I suggest:
{tlhIngan Hol qellu'DI' jIchu'}
"When it comes to Klingon, I'm new."
Literally: When one considers the Klingon language, I am new.
or more simply;
{tlhIngan Hol vIjatlhchoH} "I am beginning to speak Klingon."
}'oH vIghojtaH
maj. Daghojba'taH
}chonobchugh QaH law', vIparHa'
Careful. In Klingon the object goes before the verb. At any rate, you want
to say "I'd like it if you gave me lots of help." But "give help" is a bit
of an idiom, and what exactly is the "it" in "I'd like it"? Plus, while
English etiquette often has us say "I'd like that one" or "I'd appreciate it
if you gave me that one" when we *mean* "give me that one," Klingon
etiquette calls for directness.
{HIQaHqu'} "Help me a lot"
But note:
{nuH chonobchugh jIbel.} "If you give me a weapon I'll be happy."
The object {nuH} is before the verb.
}tlhIngan HolwIj lugh vItul
You want to say "I hope my Klingon is correct." Here is a use for the SAO.
You need two sentences.
1. {lugh tlhIngan HolwIj} "MY Klingon is correct." Note that the subject
goes AFTER the verb. See section 6.1.
2. {vItul} "I hope it"
Put them together: {lugh tlhIngan HolIj 'e' vItul} "I hope [that] my
Klingon is correct."
}tlhIngan Hol jatlhwI'pu' Satlho'
maj. "Klingon speakers, I thank you." It's ok, indeed recommended, to put
the comma or other punctuation in the Klingon, for clarity.
jumuvta'mo' pItlho', tlhIngan Hol jatlhchoHwI'. An excellent start.
Qov [email protected]
Beginners' Grammarian