RE: KLBC: double -bogh verbs

["Andeen, Eric" <Eric.Andeen@Sequencia.com>]

jatlh T'Lod:
 
> I have seen an example of two verbs suffixed with -bogh, connected 
> with je at the end, most notably in the Klingon Anthem: yoHbogh 
> matlhbogh je SuvwI'. Could someone explain this usage to me and 
> how a noun conjunction is used with verb clauses?
 
jIjatlh:

> Simple - it's not. This example comes from a song, and is a good 
> example of Okrand taking poetic license. Poetry and song lyrics 
> often break grammatical conventions to achieve some other aesthetic 
> objective, and that's what's going on here. I believe (although I 
> am not sure) that Okrand himself has said that this is not grammatical, 
> and was done solely to sound good in the song. The normal way to 
> combine multiple <-bogh> clauses is with <'ej>.

jatlh T'Lod:

> So if this were a proper Klingon phrase, it would be yoHbogh 'ej 
> matlhbogh SuvwI', qar'a'?

In general, when a subject is repeated between two different
sentences/clauses, it's better to state it in the *first* one and leave it
out in the second. This is a bit hard to get used to, but it is important.
<yoHbogh SuvwI' 'ej matlhbogh>


pagh
Beginners' Grammarian