tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Mar 22 07:27:19 1999

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Re: KLBC: {-ghach} (was Re: qama')

> On Mon, 22 Mar 1999, charghwI' 'utlh wrote:
> 
> > Hints: 
> > 
> > 1. See the noun {chon}. 
> > 
> > 2. Avoid the suffix {-ghach} whenever possible.
> > 
> > charghwI' 'utlh
> 
> Can you give me a good reason WHY? That's all I want.

I'll give you a couple:

1. Because most of the time you reach for {-ghach}, you are 
trying too hard to literally translate word for word from 
English to Klingon. English is noun-centric and we overuse a 
couple basic verbs while turning other verbs into nouns. Instead 
of "Answer me," we say, "Give me your answer." We don't just 
walk. We "take a walk". Most of the time, if you find a way to 
use a verb instead of turning it into a noun first, you are 
phrasing something better in Klingon than if you speak Klinglish 
and cram Klingon verbs into noun form.

2. Because when verbs become nouns, many different things can 
happen to them. It is not always easy to figure out WHICH 
possible noun a verb will become, and so, your message can 
easily become confusing. The nominalizing suffix {-wI'} is not 
so confusing. The person or thing doing the action is the noun. 
But with {-chach}, it could be the process of the action or the 
duration of the action or the product of the action or the 
conduit of the action or the origin of the action or the...

In Klingon, intervening verb suffixes will clue you in to what 
{-ghach} is getting at in terms of what kind of noun you are 
building from the verb. That's why {-ghach} without some other 
verb suffix is so "marked". It is REALLY hard to figure out what 
specific noun you want to build out of the verb without another 
suffix.

In your example, {wamtaHghach} sounds like you enjoy the 
continuation of hunting. You are not really into catching 
anything, since that would end your enjoyment. {wamlI'ghach} may 
have been a better choice, since the hunt has a goal. Or maybe 
you like {wamta'ghach}, the moment standing over the dead prey, 
victorious, or even later when plopping dinner on the kitchen 
table. Still, {chom} is probably a better choice, since it is 
the noun referring to the hunt. It does so better than any 
{wamXghach} could, unless you are trying to point to a 
particular variation on the action of hunting.

In general, {-ghach} is a tenacious beast. It is so difficult to 
use it clearly, yet so beautiful when it is clearly used. I 
consider it to be the LAST affix in the whole language one 
should study. After you believe yourself completely competant at 
using all other affixes, try out {-ghach} and then use it only 
one out of ten times that you are tempted to use it. Maybe less.

I personally use it several times a year. Carefully. If you find 
yourself using it more frequently than that, there is probably 
something about the Klingon language that you are missing.

The action is the important part of a Klingon sentence. That's 
why a well formed verb is a sentence all to itself. Nouns can't 
do that. They only serve to add detail to the action.

Will
 
> quljIb
>  
> > On Sun, 21 Mar 1999 17:36:20 -0800 (PST) TPO <[email protected]> 
> > wrote:
> > 
> > > >... But are not brevity and directness also halmarks of {tlhIngan
> > > >Hol}? Why would a Klingon say:
> > > >
> > > >{jIHvaD bel nobtaH wam}-or-
> > > >{bel munobtaH wam} "To hunt gives me pleasure"
> > > >{mubeltaH wam} "To hunt pleases me /It pleases me to hunt"
> > > >{jIwam(taH)meH jIbel} "Because I hunt (am hunting), I am pleased"
> > > >{mubelmoH chon} "The hunt pleases me"
> > > >{jIHvaD bel nob chon}-or-
> > > >{bel munob chon} "The hunt gives me pleasure"  
> > > >
> > > >When what he means is
> > > >
> > > >{mubelmoH wamtaHghach} "Hunting pleases me"
> > > >{bel munob wamtaHghach} "Hunting give me pleasure"
> > > 
> > > 
> > > These are shorter/quicker ??
> > > 
> > > (I'll let the grammarian discuss your grammer)
> > > 
> > > 
> > > jIwammo' jIbel
> > > DloraH
> > 
> > 
> 

Will Martin
UVA ITC Computer Support Services

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