tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Feb 23 13:10:28 1999

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Re: jIQIp'a'

In the interview, despite canon examples to the contrary, Okrand 
revealed that the only words that we know are commonly used for 
speech at all are {jatlh} and {ja'}. For all other words to 
describe the mode of speech, the description is placed in a 
separate sentence. 

So as examples:

He cried out, "I won't go!"

jach. jatlh jIjaHQo'!

or

jach. jIjaHQo' jatlh.

The guard asked the prisoner, "Are you married?"

qama' tlhob 'avwI'. jatlh bISawpu''a'?

or

qama' tlhob 'avwi'. bISawpu''a' jatlh.

[I'm making up my own punctuation rules here because it is not 
clear how Okrand would do it.]

He did indicate that {ghel} is more like {jatlh} in {tlhIngan 
Hol Dajalth'a'?} in that the direct object of {ghel} is the 
question in the same way that the direct object of {jatlh} is a 
speech or a language or some other noun representing something 
someone would say. Meanwhile, my own interpretation judging from 
talking with Okrand about this is that {tlhob} is something you 
do to a person. It is a kind of interrogation.

Meanwhile, despite the joke on one of the audio tapes, {tlhob} 
should not generally be used as a verb of speech. Okrand had 
forgotten that he had used it that way during the conversation 
surrounding the interview and seemed frustrated to find that he 
had done so. He indicated that apparently in some cases {tlhob} 
must also carry this function, but he definitely did not seem to 
want that to be the norm.

Basically, he preferred the idea that a couple of verbs of 
speech would do it, and that all the other things we want to use 
as verbs of speech (ra', jach, tlhob, ghel, SaQ, chel}, etc. 
would be wrapped around the quotation (typically preceeding it) 
as a descriptive separate sentence.

I hope this helps.

charghwI' 'utlh

On Tue, 23 Feb 1999 12:52:08 -0800 (PST) Thomas Staller 
<[email protected]> wrote:

> TPO wrote:
> > 
> > >... jupwI'vaD <nuq?> vIghel.
> > 
> > the last issue of HolQeD gives more info about verbs of speech.
> > 
> toH. Do'Ha' HolQeD vIghajbe'. QaghwIj yIngu'. 
> 
> In my notes we have two words for *ask a question*: *ghel* and *tlhob*. I always though the way *ghel* works is 
> 
> <asked one>vaD <question> [..]ghel
> 
> the question asked stands in as the direct object of *ghel* and the person asked can be stated as indirect object marked with
> *-vaD*
> 
> and *tlhob* works like
> 
> <asked one> [..]tlhob
> 
> the person asked stands in as the direct object of *tlhob*.
> 
> jIQagh'a'?
> 
> > DloraH
> 
> voqbe'wI'

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