tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Jul 07 22:47:39 2000
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Re: Deixis and direction
jatlh ghunchu'wI':
> >qIbDaq SuvwI''e' SoH Dun law' Hoch Dun puS
> >(You would be the greatest warrior in the galaxy.)
> > - Vixis to Klaa
> >
> >This shows something that looks like a topic which is neither subject nor
> >object, especially since a {law'/puS} doesn't quite have subjects or
> >objects.
>
jatlh De'vID
> Yikes! Can someone explain what is going on here /jay'/?!
Oh, this is just so cool, I want to explain it again!
> Okay, I understand:
>
> /SoH Dun law' Hoch Dun puS/ "Your are the greatest"
>
> I can also understand the /qIbDaq/ "in the galaxy".
> Now, if /SuvwI''e' SoH Dun law' Hoch Dun puS/ meant
> "You are the greatest warrior", then I'd understand the
> sentence. But I can't see how the /SuvwI'/ is being
> tacked on here.
That was the point of the topic. See the /-'e'/ on /SuvwI''e'/? That
indicates it is the topic of the sentence. It's not any sort of subject, or
object, or part of the /law'-puS/ construction, so it becomes one of the
"header" nouns. As said in TKD, "Any noun in the sentence indicating
something other than subject or object comes first, before the object noun."
Now, we don't HAVE an object noun, but the /law'-puS/ seems to be able to
take these header nouns. You didn't have any problem understanding
/qIbDaq/! /SuvwI''e'/ is just another header noun, and this one means "the
topic of the sentence is a warrior."
> Is /SoH/ acting as a pronoun here?
Well, /SoH/ IS a pronoun. If you meant, "Is /SoH/ acting as a verb here,"
the answer is no. It's acting like a noun, as pronouns often do.
> Is the /SuvwI'/ part
> of /SuvwI' SoH/ "You are a warrior"?
This is exactly what I used to think. I thought it was some strange fusing
of a "to be" sentence and a /law'-puS/ sentence.
/SuvwI''e'/ is merely the topic of the sentence. It is a "header" noun.
This is so cool!
SuStel
Stardate 518.1