tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Jul 26 07:23:56 2000
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KLBC: question about /neH/ "merely"
- From: [email protected]
- Subject: KLBC: question about /neH/ "merely"
- Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2000 10:23:29 -0400 (EDT)
If I wanted to say, "The man is merely a merchant", should it be:
1) /Suy ghaH neH loD'e'/ or
2) /Suy neH ghaH loD'e'/ ?
I am basing #1 on the rule (TKD 5.4), that
"Unlike the other adverbials, neH follows the verb which it modifies.
The semantic effect is one of trivializing the action."
Since /ghaH/ is acting like a verb here, I figured it would
follow the /ghaH/. However, does it make sense to trivialize the
act of being?
Option #2 is based on the following rule (TKD 5.4 also), that
"Also unlike the other adverbials, neH can follow a noun. In such
cases, it means only, alone."
However, I am not saying that the man is only a merchant, as
opposed to being, say, both a merchant and a doctor. I am saying
that he's merely a merchant. From the description in TKD it
doesn't sound like the use of /neH/ after a noun has a
trivializing effect the way it works on verbs, though.
Which one is right/better?
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De'vID
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