tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon May 10 08:18:28 1999
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RE: munuQbogh mI'mey
muHwI':
: > Is it allowed to use {pagh}, {'ej} etc in questions?
: > --> {bIghung'a' pagh bI'oj'a'?}
: > "Are you hungry or (are you) thirsty?"
page:
: I'm not aware of any canon use of sentence conjunctions in questions,
but
: there is no reason to believe we can't use them that way. For your
example,
: you'd probably say <bIghung'a' qoj bI'oj'a'?>, though. <bIghung'a' pagh
: bI'oj'a'?> implies that you can't be both hungry and thirsty at the same
: time.
Although I could find no examples of {-'a'} used in a complex sentence
with
multiple clauses linked by conjunctions, I fully agree with pagh: There is
no reason to believe we can't use them that way.
I did find one example of a complex sentence with *four* clauses linked by
{-chugh} "if" together with the conjunction {qoj}:
Qu' buSHa'chugh SuvwI', batlhHa' vangchugh, qoj matlhHa'chugh, pagh
ghaH SuvwI''e'.
If a warrior ignores duty, acts dishonorably, or is disloyal, he is
nothing. TKW
and two examples with {-DI'} and the conjunction {pagh}:
pay' HIvDI' lo'wI' pagh mupDI' QIHchu' bIH
[They] provide a damaging surprise attack or give a devastating backhand
stroke. SP2
HeghDI' tlhIngan SuvwI' pagh tlhIngan SuvwI' HoHlu'DI'...
When a Klingon warrior dies or is killed... S31
But you don't necessarily need to use a conjunction. In fact, omitting it
will make the thought more concise and, therefore, more forceful:
DaSovbej'a'? bISuDrup'a'?
Are you sure [of that]? Will you take that chance?
("Are you willing to take that chance?" [novel]) ST6
cheqotlhchugh maHaghbe''a'? cheDuQchugh mareghbe''a'? cheQIHchugh
manoDbe''a'?
Tickle us, do we not laugh? Prick us, do we not bleed? Wrong us,
shall we not seek revenge? TKW
It's a matter of style, not grammar.
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons