tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Feb 05 03:43:22 1999

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RE: KLBC: Two things....

jatlh Da'Qan:

I'm still catching up from the weekend, trying to answer everything I
missed.

> First thing I want to know if this translation is correct.....

> qechmeylI' vISovmoH

Not quite. See below.

> What I want to get across here is ~let me know your thoughts~ now 
> I'm not sure as to how to translate ~thoughts~.... but I figured 
> ~your many ideas~ was the closest thing unless you guys know 
> better.... which I'm sure you do.... but more importantly how 
> wold I convey the idea of random ideas?? could I just tag the 
> type three suffix -Hey on the end of it to make it seem less 
> defined? as an idea I mean.... or would you just not bother 
> with trying to make it so vague?

For "your ideas", you need <qechmeylIj> - ideas are not beings capable of
using language. For "random" ideas, consider <qechmey Sar>, or maybe
<qechmey ram>. I don't think <qechmeyHey> works very well - the <-Hey>
applies more to the speaker's assessment of the ideas than to any innate
quality of the ideas themselves. Remember also that the plural on <qech> is
optional.

For "let me know", <vISovmoH> doesn't quite work. The verb <Sov> by itself
is transitive, meaning <something> knows <something else>. With <-moH>,
things get tricky. The English is <subject> causes <object1> to know
<object2>. The way we write this in Klingon is:

<object1>-vaD <object2> SovmoH <subject>.

There is also a "prefix shortcut" that can be applied when the prefixes for
<object1> and <object2> don't match (usually when <object1> is a first or
second person pronoun. The verb prefix gets changed from the one for
<object2> to the one for <object1>. For example:

jIHvaD qechlIj yISovmoH   - becomes
qechlIj HISovmoH

In any case, while <SovmoH> is OK for "let me know", there is a better way:
<ja'>. "Let me know" is really just a weird English expression for "tell
me".

qechlIj HIja'.

> my second question is has anyone heard of a tlhIngan technical 
> manual? or even if there are transations for tech talk that goes 
> on in the trek universe? if so I'd really like to know.... my 
> favorite thing, aside of learning to speak tlhIngan is reading up 
> on the technology I've been dying for someone to put out a tech 
> read out on a vor'cha or a bird of prey. 

There is a Klingon Bird of Prey poster available, and it includes a lot of
Klingon text, all generated by Marc Okrand. There are a few mistakes made by
the artists/printers in placing the text on the poster, but for the most
part, it's very cool. See the archives from November through January for
more information.

> Hey I just thought of something else.... in Noun - Noun 
> construction is it possible to get a situation of N1 - N2 - N3?? 
> or would you translate that differently as a sentence?? for 
> example.... I want to say ~Student of klignon language~

> would there be a  N1 - N2 - N3 possibility??

>      tlhIngan Hol ghojwI'

There is no reason you can't stack more than two nouns together in the N-N
construction. We've seen Okrand do three or more several times (especially
the Skybox cards), so we know it's legal. Do exercise some common sense,
though - if you put sixteen nouns together, don't expect anyone to be able
to parse it.

> or would it be something like:

>       tlhIngan Hol  jIH ghojwI''e'

>     I gathered this from section 6.3 of TKD but I don't think I 
> understand it right... could you give me a hand here as well?? 
> thanks

The only thing I can make out of this is "I, the student, am the Klingon
language", which is obviously not what you want. Your first instinct was
correct - go with the noun-noun(-noun).


pagh
Beginners' Grammarian

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