tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed May 26 19:34:44 1999

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RE: KLBC : A grammar question...



jatlh juDmoS:

> I saw something on the side of a bus today, and it sounded 
> so Klingon that I wanted to try to translate it...ran into 
> a problem. The phrase was :

> Pain is weakness leaving the body.

> I tried : "  porgh tlheDlI'bogh HoSHa'ghach 'oH 'oy''e'  "

> (mainly because I don't see permission to use the -ghach 
> nominalizer without the -Ha' prefix, so weakness had to be 
> 'un-strength'...) Any ideas on how to better cast this phrase?

You're right - a rather Klingon sentiment. Unfortunately, it's not a very
Klingon phrasing. Your translation was quite literal, and probably correct,
but it's awkward in Klingon. 

Both Holtej and ghunchu'wI' have offered good suggestions for alternatives
with the same feel, and both were good. The important thing to note in both
is that verbs were used instead of nouns for the concepts of strength,
weakness, and pain.


pagh
Beginners' Grammarian

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