tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Nov 28 06:24:01 1999
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Re: KLBC Original Stuff (was Help With a Word...)
- From: [email protected]
- Subject: Re: KLBC Original Stuff (was Help With a Word...)
- Date: Sun, 28 Nov 1999 09:23:49 EST
In a message dated 99-11-28 01:53:10 EST, you write:
<< >
> yaHmeyDaq vumtaH tamtaH je' ' qulSuS ' pongta'bogh
> tlhIngan qughwI' meH beq.
> The bridge crew of the Klingon cruiser qulSuS sat
> silently tending to their duties.
Interesting punctuation style for the proper name. I've not seen it before,
but I kind of like it.
Two problems. The first is simple - you've got the wrong conjunction.
. That is a very strange sounding pair, by the way, for people used to
English, where <tam> is really an adjective, but it makes perfect sense in
Klingon.
The second problem is a bit more complicated. You've got <' qulSuS '
pongta'bogh tlhIngan qughwI'> for "The Klingon cruiser called Firewind."
The problem is that the way <pong> works is that the subject is the thing
calling the name, the object is the name itself, and the thing named gets a
<-vaD> put on it. Instead you could just say <tlhIngan qughwI' '
qulSuS '> - "The Klingon cruiser Firewind". This sounds more natural.
Also, I don't remember offhand, but isn't <qughDuj> the standard Klingon
word for "cruiser".
So, more properly, yaHmeyDaq vumtaH 'ej tamtaH tlhIngan qughDuj ' qulSuS '
meH beq. Thanks.
> jIHDaq leghlaHta' 'oH neH logh chImqu' .
> Only vast, empty space could be seen on the viewscreen.
Subject/object problems here. The thing that is seen is the vast, empty
space, so it has to be the object of <legh>. The subject is probably the
bridge crew. If the subject is "They (the bridge crew)", then the prefix
needs to change just a bit:
jIHDaq logh chImqu' neH luleghlaH.
qabqu'be' pab. Qagh puS vItu'bej, 'ach tI'meH ngeD.
qatlho'. chonaDDI' choquv.
pagh
Beginners' Grammarian >>