tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Jul 30 17:55:44 1999

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Re: KLBC-Fr.



In a message dated 7/28/1999 11:06:30 PM US Mountain Standard Time, 
[email protected] writes:

<< {wej} sets the time frame. Within this time frame you can have actions that
 are happening (suffixes: -0, -taH, -lI') and actions that have already
 happened (suffixes: -pu', -ta').
 An example: DaH tlhIngan pongwIj vIwIvlI', 'ach wej vIwIvta'.
 1 DaH - sets time frame for first sentence
 2 tlhIngan pongwIj - direct object
 3 vIwIvlI' - the choosing is happening at the set time (DaH), the goal
 (having a name) is in sight, but not yet reached
 4 'ach - conjunction
 5 wej - sets time frame for second sentence
 6 vIwIvta' - the choosing has already happened at the set time ({wej}
 represents a certain point in the future), i.e. the decision for a certain
 name has been taken; it happened intentionally
 
 Another attempt: {wej tlhIngan pongwIj vIwIvta'}
 Think of it as "I have already chosen my Klingon name" - {tlhIngan pongwIj
 vIwIvta'}(we don't have a Klingon word for "already", but the meaning won't
 be affected if we leave it out) . I guess you don't have a problem with
 this.
 Now negate the whole thing: "I haven't chosen my Klingon name yet" - the
 opposite of "already" is "not yet", and that's {wej} in Klingon. So we get:
 {wej tlhIngan pongwIj vIwIvta'}. >>
===============================
chojangmo' 'ej vuDlIj Damuchmo' qatlho'.  'ach mu'tlheghvam *aspect* DaqelDI' 
bImuj 'e' vIHar.  

I'll use English here because I want no lack of clarity when you read this:  
The act of not having chosen his Klingon name (yet) is still in the process; 
it is not completed at all.  Even though time has passed during which the 
subject did not choose his Klingon name, the time is continuing to pass and 
the event has not reached a state of completion.  Because perfective cannot 
apply to a partially completed state (event), neither {-ta'} nor {-pu'} can 
apply.

Please re-evaluate your concept of aspect.

peHruS



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