tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Apr 29 21:33:13 2001

Back to archive top level

To this year's listing



[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]

Re: " tIqyoH " pongpu'bogh ghe'naQvo' jImugh



In a message dated 01-04-27 12:32:42 EDT, you write:

<< Indeed.
  
 : Hegh Hoch loD 'ach yInchu'be' Hoch loD.
 : (Every man dies...but not all men truly live.)
 : <Every man dies, but every man does not perfectly live.>
 
 There's no need to edit this; we can translate it exactly:
 
   Hegh Hoch loD 'ach yInchu'be' Hoch loDpu'.
   "Every man dies but all men do not truly live."

Interesting...why did you pluralize loD in the second part but not the first?
 
 : tlhab tIqlIj. Datlha'meH toDuj yIghajnIs.
 : (Your heart is free. Have the courage to follow her.)
 : <Your heart is free. You must have the courage to follow it.>
 
 First, {-nIS} is not used with imperatives:
 
   yIghaj     "Have it!" 
   Daghaj     "You have it." 
   DaghajnIS  "You must have it." 
 
I didn't see that ... for my own edification, where is this rule located? 
 Second, "have the courage" is an English idiom for "be brave" {yoH}.  E.g.:

   QaghmeylIj tIchID, yIyoH.
   Have the courage to admit your mistakes. TKW
 
 Thus:
 
   tlhab tIqlIj. Datlha'meH yIyoH.
 
 or following the more concise TKW example:
 
   tlhab tIqlIj. yItlha', yIyoH.
 
 In Klingon, {ghaj} "have, possess" usually has a physical, tangible object --
 although there is the one odd idiom:
 
   pIch vIghajbe'. 
   It's not my fault. TKD
 
 In general, whenever you see a phrase with the English helping verbs "have",
 "do", "make", "be", etc., don't translate them literally into Klingon, but 
look
 for a one word synonym.  E.g. {'uH} "have a hangover", {wuQ} "have a 
headache"
 or today's Word of the Day {Qoj} "make war".
 
 If, however, you insist on {toDuj yIghaj!}, consider using the more evocative
 {qajunpaQ} "*kajunpakt* (courage, audacity)" from KGT.  
  >>

I shall...but I do not necessarily insist on that interpretation. Thanks for 
your help!

juDmoS


Back to archive top level