tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed May 02 10:42:07 2001

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RE: KLBC: Grammer questions

lab Melody Jeffcoat:

>> >>  Why are there many sticky things under my bed?
>> >
>> >qatlh QongwIjDaq bIngDaq chaH Dochmey'e' Hum law'?
>>
>> Rather than correcting this, I will give you the three tools you need to
>> correct it.
>>
>> 2. See TKD 3.4, particularly the last example for how to use -Daq with a
>> noun-noun construction.
>
>I was unsure while I was writing this: I knew that the locative suffix
>follows the second noun, hence {bIngDaq}.  My problem was that the only
>word for bed that I know is {QongDaq} (if there is another word out there,
>that would solve the problem :) ) So do I treat {QongDaq} as a basic noun
>and add {-wIj} to the end of it, or do I put {-wIj} before {-Daq} so that
>suffixes will be in the proper order? I suppose the {-Daq} of {QongDaq}
>might have nothing to do with the noun suffix {-Daq}, since {Qong} is a
>verb.

When first reading your sentence I must admit I saw the -Daq on the end of
both nouns and didn't notice that it was the -Daq from QongDaq and not an
extra -Daq.  Yes, QongDaq is a basic noun, and yes you add the -wIj to the
end.  Your comment that the Daq in QongDaq might have nothing to do with
-Daq is astute, and will serve you well if you generalize it to include
other parts of words that look like words.  

>> 3. Consider a way the type 9 verb suffix -wI' can make your sentence more
>> concise.
>
>I don't know what you mean here...

Doch Hum is one way to say "sticky thing".  There's a shorter way, using -wI'.

>> >>  Are there blue cups in the kitchen (galley)?
>> >
>> >vutpa'Daq chaH'a' tu'lummey SuD?
>>
>> 2. I said just "cups" not high class teacups.  I was thinking more of
>> HIvje'.  If you rejected that because of the gloss "glass (tumbler)" see p.
>> 96 and p. 120-121 in KGT.  I think there's other canon too, indicating that
>> HIvje' is a general term for a drinking vessel.
>
>I only have the TKD to work with, so I didn't know what sort of a
>distinction there was between those two words...actually I think my choice
>of words was a bit subconcious: if I think of a blue cup, I think of a
>coffee mug/tea cup, because those are generally painted. When I think of a
>cup/glass I think of a clear glass container.  Of course those are images
>that an American of my particular background would think of, probably not
>the same as a Klingon.  Anyhow, so now I know the Klingon differentiation
>of {HIvje'} and {tu'lum}

tu'lum isn't in TKD so you must have picked it up somewhere else.  It's a
posh, upper class word for a tea cup, the normal word being Dargh HIvje'.   

> >>  I won't be present when the shuttle arrives, because I'm going to
Earth in
> >> the  morning.
> >
> >jISaHbe' pqwDI' lupDujHom, poDaq tera' vIjaHmo'
>
> 3. As far as I know, jaH does not act like ghoS.  Its direct object is not
> the destination.  I may be wrong here, because there was some new
> information about verbs of motion revealed at a time when I was not very
> active in the language.   watch to see if I am corrected on this point.

I don't know either. I was basing that on something taD said:

> > "Arizona" DuSaQ'a'Daq vIjaHlI'.
> >
> This sentence is grammatically correct. However, the verb {jaH} most likely
> only means "go" in the literal sense (i.e., from one place to another). So
> if you're walking to your university right now, it would be fine to use.

It looks like taD missed a prefix error there.  there's no object of jaH in
that sentence, so the prefix on jaH should have been jI-.  I imagine he was
distracted by the too-literal transation of "go to school," and missed the
vI-. 

I know that tera'Daq jIjaH is correct.  
Qov

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