tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Sep 19 07:58:55 2000
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Re: KLBC moHaq Dup
> TKD lists {Daj} as "be interesting". Generally, verbs like this ("be
> hungry", "be green", "be honored", etc.) only have subjects, and
> not objects. Therefore, to me, {muDaj} ("It is interesting me") or
> {mughung} ("It is hungry me") feel wrong. However, I do see what
> you're thinking by using the "prefix trick". If {Daj} actually meant
> "be interesting to (someone)", then {muDaj} would definitely >
work.
Neither do most transitive verbs (e.g. {nob}) in tlhIngan Hol have the
idea of an indirect object within them.
My concern is two-fold:
1. I'm not comfortable with accepting the explanation that a usage
doesn't "feel right", thought I'm familiar with the sentiment (e.g.
"the white big dog" vs "the big white dog" in English - the average
speaker of English cannot tell you why these seem wrong). I can
accept astatement that the pronoun trick is never used with stative
verbs, thought I'd be left wondering how that decision came about
(I'm aware that tlhIngan grammar is sometimes changed to retrofit
actors' lines).
2. Now I'm wondering whether the pronoun-trick isn't part of
"common" usage at all (if in deed one can apply the concept of
"common ussage" to tlhIngan Hol at this time), and therefore I
should avoid using it. I found it an interesting twist within the
language, and at least in written form (I've yet to actually speak to
anyone in Klingon) I have no problem understanding the meaning.