tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Feb 06 08:26:42 2001

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RE: KLBC: pronoun prefex mnemonics




naQSej said:

> I've tried learning the list in TKD, I've made my own,
> I've drawn pictures, I visit Holtej's chart - nothing
> sticks the less used ones in my mind.
> 
> I'm trying a new tack - mnemonics of the prefixes in
> short phrases which I can visualise.
> 
> I amn't certain that they are grammatically correct,
> apart from {ghobchuq loDnI' .} and {yIn nI' SIQ ...}.
> Still I offer them for what they are worth - any
> corrections gratefully received.
> 
> I have tried to make the phrases possible to visualise
> (though you have to be sure of retaining the correct
> point of view), and to make use of puns as much as
> possible.  The English translations use a deliberately
> odd syntax, to retain the pronoun.
> 
This is a good idea. For me, after listening to the audio tapes, I
remembered sentences and prefixes from them.

Most of the sentences below are fine. My comments/corrections are
underneath.


> jIjIr                         I rotate
>                         (it helps to be in a swivel
> chair, I find)
> petaQ, qaqaD                         I challenge you,
> scum
> HoD vIvoqbe'                         I don't trust him,
> the captain
> suvwI'wI' SaSaH                        I care for you,
> my warriors
>                             (I have a feeling these two
> sentences go together)
> 'oqQarmey vIvut                        I cook them,
> tubers
>                         (I think Klingons would find
> chips (French Fries) one of the more acceptable Terran
> dishes,
>                         provided they were sufficiently
> greasy and done in lard, not oil)
> 
Just a typo here - the word for "root, tuber" is spelled {'oQqar}.


> bIQDaq bIbIr                         you are cold in
> the water
> chab DaqengtaHvIS chochol         you approach me with
> a pie
> Da' DaDa                         you act like a
> corporal
> jujuS jay'                            you're *!>%ing
> overtaking us
>                         (on the veng wa'DIch freeway -
> I am in one car full of young Klingons when another one
>                            overtakes us)
> ghoqwI'pu' DaDaq              you eavesdrop on them,
> the spies
> QongDaqDaq Qong                         he sleeps in a
> bed
> bu' mumuS                         he hates me, the
> sergeant
> 
Remember that Klingon word order is object-verb-subject. So this should be
{mumuS bu'} ("The sergeant hates me").


> DuDuQmeH Daqtagh lo'        he will stab you with a
> Daktagh
> buy'bogh pa'Daq legh        he sees her across a
> crowded room
> nunughI' bu'                     he twists his knuckles
> into our heads, the Sergeant
> ghawranDaq lIlIH               he will introduce you to
> Gowron
> 
The noun suffix {-Daq} is used when there is movement to a place, or when
something happens at a place.
In the sentence "He will introduce you to Gowron", the introduction isn't
necessarily happening *at* Gowron. In this case, you'd actually want to say
{ghawranvaD} ("For Gowron"). The introduction is intended for him.


> loS SaD Hughmey SIj          he cut four thousand
> throats
> 
In the section on numbers in TKD on page 53, it shows that numbers are
combined so that {loSSaD} would be one word. The spacing in the appendix of
TKD on page 171 (where it says *{loS SaD}) probably is just a typo.


> mamaw'                             we are mad
> pIpIH, vaj pIqop                   we suspect you so we
> arrest you
> 
Just a note on vocabulary - There are two verbs {pIH}, each with a different
meaning. It looks like you accidentally combined the two different meanings
into one. {pIH} can be one of two things:

One means to "expect". {pIpIH} "We're expecting you" (Maybe you would use
this if you invited someone to a party).

The other meaning is "be suspicious", and so it doesn't take a direct
object. So you couldn't say *{pIpIH} to mean "We're suspicious you".
However, you can say {bIpIH} ("You're suspicious"), or you can use the verb
after a noun to describe it:
{Duj pIH} "The suspicious ship".


> 'Iw HIq wIwIv                      we choose it, the
> blood wine
> negh, RomuluSDaq rengeH        soldiers, we send you to
> Romulus
> 
This is grammatically correct, since you separated {negh} from the actual
sentence, but pay attention to the word {negh} here.
It means "soldiers", but doesn't have a plural suffix on it. You could think
of {negh} in the same way as the English words "gang" or "platoon". A "gang"
is a group of people, but grammatically it's singular. We say "The gang
attacks them", not *"The gang attack them".
Similarly, in Klingon we would say {negh wIngeH} ("We send the soldiers"),
and we wouldn't say *{negh DIngeH}.

> tlhoy pu'mey DIDIl              we paid too much for
> the phasers
> SuSuD vaj SumIpbe'             you gamble so you are
> poor
> tunej 'ej  tutu'                     look for me and
> you will all find me
> 
A better translation of the Klingon here might be "You will look for me, and
you will find me". "Look for me" sounds like a command, and if you want it
to be a command, you would want to use the verb prefix {HI-}.


> QujwI' bobot                      you all blocked him,
> the player
>                         (this refers to rugby:  it and
> (American) football might be a bit tame to Klingons,
> but I think they
>                         would feel the games were on
> the right lines)
> veS rInDI' chechegh             you will all return to
> us when the war is over
> ropbogh nuvpu' boboQ         you all helped them, the
> sick people
> qachvo' Sup qama'pu'           they jump from the
> building, the prisoners
> mumuH                             they will execute me
> nepmey nInIS                      they hinder you, the
> lies
> 
Keep in mind that {nep} ("lie, fib") is only a verb, and not a noun. Also,
*{nepmey} would be the subject of the sentence, so it would come after the
verb and not before it.


> lurSa luluH                        they make her
> confess, Lursa
> verenganpu' nunuQ             they annoy us, the
> Ferengi
> 
Again, remember that {verenganpu'} is the subject, so it would come after
the verb in the Klingon sentence.


> De' Dajqu' lIlI'                     they transmitted
> data to you, fascinating information
> ghobchuq loDnI'pu'              the brothers fight one
> another
> yIn nI' yISIQ 'ej yIchep          live long and
> prosper!
> pepegh                                keep the secret
> (all of you)!
> HIHIv                                attack me!
> to'waQ yIyIv                         chew the ligament!
> tlhaq'a'Daq ghoghom             meet us at the clock!
> pu'DaH titI'                        fix them, the
> phaser banks!
> 
This is an interesting way of remembering prefixes. It also looks like it
will be good for remembering vocabulary, which is also good.
majQa'. batlh moHaqmey Daqawjaj!

- taD



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