tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Jul 06 19:17:41 2000
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RE: KLBC: -law'
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Lee Lewis [mailto:[email protected]]
> Sent: Thursday, August 03, 2000 7:25 PM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: Re: KLBC: -law'
>
>
> I do not believe that I can be confused "more" ... :)
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: [email protected]
> To: tlhIngan-Hol
> Sent: Tuesday, July 04, 2000 4:52 PM
> Subject: Re: KLBC: -law'
>
>
> >De'vID:
> >> /qatlh 'oH Daparlaw'/
> >
> >> Does this mean
> >> "Why do you {sort of dislike it}?" or
> >> "Why does it appear that {you dislike it}?"
I think this could be interpreted as being ambiguous. Think of it this way.
The question is a whole sentence with a question word added. {'oH Daparlaw'}
is the sentence. "You apparently dislike it. Why?" That ambiguity is
actually useful because as I explain why I appear to dislike it, I can
explain why I dislike it or why the appearance is deceiving.
You are asking "why" to the whole statement, not just to one or another
element of the sentence. The answerer presumably knows whether understanding
the answer depends more upon any particular element of the question.
> pagh:
> >I'm not certain there's much of a difference between these two.
>
> De'vID:
> Okay, now that I think about it, it's not the /-law'/ that's
> causing me the problem, but the /qatlh/ and the question of
> just what it applies to.
>
> [Well, /-law'/ is now causing me other problems - see my post
> to charghwI'.]
>
> My question is really, does the /qatlh/ apply to the /par/ or
> the /-law'/? Let's say that I'm talking to my friend about
> my pet targ. He is really mean towards it, and I ask him,
> /qatlh targhwIj Daparlaw'?/
>
> 1) If /qatlh/ applies to the /par/, then /qatlh Daparlaw'/ means
> something like, "You seem to dislike it, why do you dislike
> it?" It might be answered by saying, "It cleans itself way
> too much."
That would be disgusting.
> 2) If it applies to the /-law'/, then /qatlh Daparlaw'/ means
> "Why am I uncertain that you dislike it?", or "You seem to
> dislike it, why am I uncertain of that?" It might be answered
> with "You misunderstand, I don't dislike your targ, you're
> supposed to treat them harshly, they like that."
net Sov.
> Does that make any sense, or have I confused the issue even more?
No. I know that I'm usually the one guy who fights ambiguity tooth and nail,
but in this case, I see ambiguity as a useful function, leaving the answerer
a wider range of options to explain why the statement taken as a whole is
true.
> --
> De'vID
charghwI'