tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Aug 10 13:43:10 1999
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RE: KLBC: Purpose Clauses
: jatlh DujHoD:
: > I have been looking over TKW and found a confusing
: > sentence on page 5.
: > SuvmeH 'ej charghmeH bogh tlhInganpu'.
: > Klingons are born to fight and conquer.
: > I do not understand the use of {'ej} in this sentence.
: > TKD says that {'ej} is only used to connect sentences,
: > but in this case, it appears to connect two purpose
: > clauses: {SuvmeH} and {charghmeH}. {SuvmeH} isn't a
: > complete sentence, is it?
:
: This is a case of TKD being a bit imprecise. The "sentence" conjunctions
: ('ej, qoj, and pagh) can actually join all kinds of clauses. We have this
: example and several others, including the noun phrase <SuDbogh Dargh 'ej
: wovbogh>, that demonstrate that these kinds of conjunctions can join several
: different kinds of clauses.
:
: pagh
Another example with {-bogh} comes from KCD: {romuluSngan Sambogh 'ej HoHbogh
nejwI'} "Romulan hunter-killer probe".
Note the compact phrases modifying the same word: either a noun {Sambogh 'ej
HoHbogh nejwI'} or a verb, {SuvmeH 'ej charghmeH bogh}. Notice too that the
English is also contracted: "hunter(-probe)/killer-probe" or "born to fight
and
(born to) conquer".
Always bear in mind that TKD is only an outline of Klingon grammar. As Okrand
says in the introduction:
"Although a good many of the fine points are not covered, the sketch
will allow the student of Klingon to figure out what a Klingon is
saying ..."
This is one of the fine points.
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons