tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Feb 23 16:30:39 1999

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Re: Hoch



In a message dated 2/22/1999 11:50:41 AM US Mountain Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:

<< Meanwhile, I would not expect to say "The glass is full" by 
 saying {naQ HIvje'}. Instead, I would expect that to mean that 
 the glass didn't have any chips or chinks in it, so none of its 
 componants were missing. For the former meaning, I'd use {HIvje' 
 teblu'chu'pu'}.
 
 Now, if these are acceptable meanings for {naQ} as a main verb, 
 why change the meaning while using it adjectivally. I know of 
 only one verb with this kind of change. {pegh} is very different 
 as a main verb than as an adjective. Meanwhile, I'm pretty sure 
 {pegh} is quite alone as an exception of this type and I'm not 
 looking forward to finding other such exceptions.
  
 > Meanwhile, I feel that {QIm naQ yIlo'} means "Use the entire egg, not just
 > part of it."  My difficulty was in the connotation brought forth in English
 > about a chemical substance being incomplete somehow.  Even the Klingon word
 > {HutlhHa'} seems preferable.
 
 I simply disagree. "Be whole, be entire". Yes, it is a whole 
 egg, but not because it has the volume of an egg; because it has 
 all the componants that make an egg complete. It has a yolk. It 
 has a white. It has a shell. It is a whole egg. Here, the egg is 
 an entity; a composit, not just a unit of measure (despite its 
 treatment in cookbooks). >>

Agreeing with you so far.

Still, if I have a pie with apples, shortening, flour, etc., it is "complete"
to me.  But, it does not have sugar, which [perhaps] you feel necessary for
the pie to be complete.  For both of us, the pie has not yet been cut.  {chab
pe'lu'be'} {vaj naQ chab}.  With or without the sugar it is complete because
it has not been cut.  Some of you (all of you except me?) claim that {naQ}
would not refer to the uncut pie because it is incomplete while it lacks
sugar.

No, I still think "be whole, be entire" refers to the uncut condition.  No
piece is missing.  Not even the fact that I eat pie without sugar does not
mean that I am eating an incomplete pie.

peHruS, back to {HutlhHa'}



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