tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sat Jun 05 14:39:34 1999
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Re: Love
ja' peHruS:
><< Heghpu'be' Sarghvam. rIQchu' neH. >>
>===================
>In that the verb suffix {-be'} negates the syllable immediately preceding it,
>is ghunchuwI' attempting to show that there is "incomplete completion of the
>event"?
I am saying that there is *not* completion. It's a simple state, having
no duration or extent or protracted nature whatsoever. Your "incomplete
completion" phrase suggests that you view the "completion" idea carried by
the verb suffix {-pu'} as an ongoing process that can begin, continue for a
while before ending, and finally finish. That's *not* what it means. The
perfective aspect in Klingon grammar is a binary yes/no switch. Either the
action of the verb is being identified as complete, or it is not.
A direct translation would be "This sark has not died." There's nothing in
my words (or my intent) to imply anything like "...has not finished dying."
This sort of concept would require a grammatical structure that a type 7
verb suffix is not capable of expressing in a single word.
-- ghunchu'wI'