tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Feb 08 13:05:55 1999
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RE: KLBC:Old message
: jatlh 'oghwI':
: > I was going through the archives of messages from the list
: > (Sep, 4th 1998) when I found a message from you. At the
: > end you said:
: >> DaHjaj pablIj neH vIqel jIH
: > I've translated this as "Today I only consider your grammar."
: >
: > I was just wondering why you put the <jIH> on the end, as
: > <vIqel> already contains the "I" that <jIH> is adding.
:
: The <jIH> was added for emphasis. Today, *I* only considered your grammar.
: Others may have done other stuff.
:
: pagh
pagh is of course correct in his explanation of the grammar, but I think he didn't really think through his original post. I have a stylistic quibble. Using two types of emphasis in one sentence is confusing:
DaHjaj pablIj neH vIqel jIH
Today, only I considered only your grammar.
What are you really stressing here? The way it's written, the main emphasis seems to be (at least to me and 'oghwI') on {pablIj}: I only considered your *grammar* (not your literary style, choice of words, spelling, Klingon spirit, etc.) with perhaps a secondary emphasis on {jIH}. If you really want to stress the subject - I and no one else will be doing this - you'd either need to omit {neH}:
DaHjaj pablIj vIqel jIH
Today *I* will be the one considering your grammar
(i.e. "I am the one who does this", "it's my job and no one else's"), or move {neH} after {jIH}:
DaHjaj pablIj vIqel jIH neH
I am the only one who'll consider your grammar today.
I and I alone am the one who'll discuss your grammar today.
... since it's a KLBC post, all others are forbidden to comment before the BG; they'll just have to wait until tomorrow. This adds even more emphasis to {jIH}, though it may be overkill. Looking at my notes, however, I can find only one case where Okrand adds any additional emphasis when he uses {neH}, {jay'} or {-'e'}:
not qoHpu''e' neH ghIjlu'
Only fools have no fear. TKW
Here {-'e'} and {neH} both emphasize the very same noun. Emphasizing more than one thing in a sentence rather defeats the point: if everything is emphasized, nothing is really emphasized.
Of course, EMPHASIZING EVERY D**N THING YOU SAY at *full* volume is *VERY* Klingon!
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons