tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Nov 30 16:41:25 1999

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RE: KLBC: Nature of -be' (was <.Las Vegas>Daq lengwIj)



jatlh tuv'el:

> << KLBC: <Las Vegas>Daq lengwIj
>  
> vaghHu' <Las Vegas>Daq jIjaHpu'.  SuDmeH vIjaHbe'.  
> <Thanksgiving> jaj lopmeH vIjaH.  
>  
>  KLBC: My trip to Las Vegas
>  
> I went to Las Vegas five days ago.  I did not go 
> to gamble. I went to celebrate the day of Thanksgiving.

jang juDmoS:
>  
> Don't misunderstand, I am not one to pick nits. But this one 
> covers ground I have a question on, involving the use of -be'. 
> According to TKD, it "follows the concept being negated." In 
> the above example, he did not journey to Las Vegas to gamble. 
> Not that he did not *go*, but that he did not go *to gamble*. 
> Then, in this instance, isn't the purpose clause what is 
> actually being negated ? 

You're not picking nits; you're asking a thoughtful question, and honestly
looking for insight. Don't get caught doing that in school {{;-)>

It could be, but it could just as easily be just the verb. Consider
<jIghungmeH, chIch jISopbe'> - "In order to be hungry, I intentionally did
not eat". 

> Should this be ' SuDbe'meH jIjaHta' ' (I went for the purpose 
> of not gambling)

That works. Whether it express the idea tuv'el was going for is probably up
to tuv'el. 

> or can you negate a purpose clause, such as 
> ' SuDmeHbe' jIjaHta' ' (I went not for the purpose 
> of gambling) ? 

Rovers cannot be placed after type 9 suffixes, so this does not work. I kind
of wish it did . . .

> Or would the whole sentence have to be recast? 

ghaytan.


pagh
Beginners' Grammarian

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