Re: Qa'Hom qaDHom (KLBC)

[Steven Boozer <sboozer@midway.uchicago.edu>]

jeremy@mupwi.demon.co.uk writes:
<< DubDaq QottaH Saj. >>

peHruS:
: chay' qechvam wIDelnIS?  nuq 'oH mIw lugh'e'?

I no longer have mupwI's original post so I'm not sure as to which {mIw}
peHruS
is referring (but that won't stop me from commenting!).  Is the question
whether "the pet is lying on its back" should be:

  1. DubDaq QottaH Saj.

or

  2. DubDajDaq QottaH Saj.

AFAIK, whenever Okrand refers to someone's (or something's) body parts, he
uses
the possessive suffixes.  {Dub} "back (of body)" has never been used in canon,
but many other body parts have been.  Although many Terran languages may omit
the possessive when context is clear, Klingon seems to require it.  Variant 2
would thus be correct.

As for {Qot} "lie, recline", here are the two examples that I know of:

  QongDaqDaq Qotbe' tlhInganpu'
  Klingons do not lie in bed.  TKW

  QotDI' gheD tlhejbe'  wamwI'
  The hunter does not lie down with the prey. TKW

Or have I completely missed peHruS's point again?


-- 
Voragh                       
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons