tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Mar 01 08:06:21 1999
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Definition of Aspect
- From: [email protected]
- Subject: Definition of Aspect
- Date: Mon, 1 Mar 1999 10:46:53 EST
Webster's dictionary defines "aspect": a form of the ver expressing
inception, duration or completion of the action.
Webster's dictionary defines "perfective": of a verbal aspect which expresses
a completed action or state.
Okay, let's assume Webster's dictionary publishers were not thinking about
Klingon when they wrote those definitions. Safe assumption, I think. Let's
reiterate that Klingon is not like English. Klingon is not just like any
language we have encountered before. Klingon cannot be defined merely using
Earth terminology.
TKD p40, section 4.2.7 defines "aspect": Klingon does not express tenses
(past, present, future). These ideas come across from context or other words
in the sentence (such as {wa'leS} [tomorrow]). The language does, however,
indicate aspect: whether an action is completed or not yet completed, and
whether an action is a single event or a continuing one.
The absence of a Type 7 suffix usually means that the action is not completed
and is not continuous (that is, it is not one of the things indicated by the
Type 7 suffixes). Verbs with no Type 7 suffix are translated by the English
simple present tense.
"perfective": {-pu'} [perfective]
This suffix indicates that an action is completed. It is often translated by
the English present perfect [have done something].
-----------------------
For those of you who have further information from Marc Okrand regarding the
proper use of aspect, please tell me what you know. How did you come by this
information? What were the results of your interviews? Where did the results
get published.
I looked for the FAQ ghunchu'wI' says he wrote. I found only an FAQ by
D'Armand Speers on tlhIngan Hol. I did find several other FAQs regarding
Klingons, but not about tlhIngan Hol.
peHruS