tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Dec 06 22:11:45 2000

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RE: KLBC: jIleng 'e' vImuS.



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Stauffer, Tad E (staufte7) [mailto:[email protected]]
> Sent: Monday, December 04, 2000 10:21 AM
...
> You would also be able to use a prefix that indicates a vague or unknown
> object, and then use a noun with {-Daq} to indicate where the action is
> occuring. For example,
> {yuQ vIbav} "I orbit the planet"
> {qIbDaq jIbav} "I orbit (something unknown) in the galaxy"
> {yuQDaq jIbav} "I orbit (something unknown) while I'm at the planet"
> If I've misunderstood what the interview was saying, and these sentences
> don't work, I'm sure that SarrIS will be happy to clarify.

The only think you don't mention is that the following two sentences likely
have exactly the same meaning:

yuQ vIbav.

yuQDaq vIbav.

The {-Daq} is not necessary and stylistically, I definitely prefer to omit
it on the direct object of one of these verbs, but it can be there, and if
it is, it does not change the meaning of the sentence. The prefix tells you
whether it is the direct object or not.

Change the prefix to {jI-} and you get the different meaning, where {yuQDaq}
simply becomes the location where the action happens and not the direct
object of the verb. Change to {jI-} and omit the {-Daq} and the result is
ungrammatical, since {yuQ} has no grammatical role in the sentence. It's not
a locative or a direct object, so what is it? Simple: It's a mistake.

> - taD

SarrIS



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