tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Mar 31 18:32:02 1999
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RE: KLBC
- From: "Andeen, Eric" <[email protected]>
- Subject: RE: KLBC
- Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 19:34:54 -0700
jatlh Dave:
> {nuqneH} doesn't really seem to work as a greeting with email. "What do I
> want." isn't really what you're writing about. Perhaps "I want this" or
> "this is want I want" will be a more accurate yet still Klingon-sounding
> phrase.
> Or perhaps I don't know enough to risk these discussions...
> Satlho'
> tuQaqchu' :)
When you want to begin a conversation, just start talking. In Klingon
culture, which is reflected in the language, it is considered rude to waste
a person's time with pleasantries.
The best use of <nuqneH> is to respond to someone walking up to you or
calling you on the telephone. In that context, it makes perfect sense to say
"what do you want?". Once again, this is not considered rude, but a "polite"
terran response would be.
> Once thing I don't quite understand about Klingon, is it seems to lack the
> verb "to be" ("it is", "they are" etc..)
bIlughbej. Klingon has no verb "to be". Cool, yes?
> Do they just use verbs instead of adjectives or something?
HIja'. Klingon does not have adjectives, but verbs fill the role adjectives
play in many other languages.
In English, "to be" has two main uses. The first is something like "X is
<adjective>". This is much easier in Klingon. There is likely a verb in
Klingon which means "be <adjective>", so the sentence is "<prefix>-<verb>
X".
Examples:
I am hungry - jIghung.
Maltz is tired - Doy' matlh.
You are thirsty - bI'oj.
The second use is something like "X is <noun>". This is a bit more
complicated in Klingon. In this case, a *pronoun* acts as a verb. The
Klingon sentence is "<noun> <pronoun> X-'e'", or just "<noun> X" if X is
already a pronoun. The pronoun of course has to match the number and person
of X.
Examples:
tlhIngan jIH - I am a Klingon
pu' 'oH - It is a phaser
pu' 'oH Dochvetlh'e' - that thing is a phaser
> Also, do it seems that mu' HaqwI' is missing the word for bloodwine. Is
> this explainable, or should I download a dictionary revision?
mu' HaqwI' vIlo'be'mo' jIH jISovbe'.
> "peng yIbaH"
maj.
> "cha wIghaj'a'?"
maj.
> "cha wIghajbej"
maj.
> "chotlch!"
I think you meant <chotIch>, with a capital i (eye) rather than a lower case
L (ell).
> Suvchuqpu'
This means "They have fought each other", or to belabor the point a bit, "At
the time at which the sentence is understood to take place, they have
completed the act of fighting each other". I'm not sure, but I think you
probably just meant <Suvchuq>.
pagh
Beginners' Grammarian
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