tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sat May 05 22:06:27 2001

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Re: KLBC: Grammer questions



lab Paul McIntosh

> How's this?

Hmm.  It looks like either you haven't yet learned some things I thought
you knew, but are very lucky at guessing, or you do know them, but are
sometimes careless.  Instead of re-writing the sentences, I'll give you a
quick tutorial (or maybe review) on the stuff you're getting wrong, and let
you re-write the sentences.

1. Word order in Klingon sentences is very strict.  Just because it seems
like a jumbled version of English, doesn't mean that any old jumbled word
order is correct.

At the very beginning of a clause comes information about the time, manner
and location of the action.  That means time expressions like "today" or
"in the morning, most adverbs, and any noun or noun phrase with a type-5
suffix other than -'e'.

Once that stuff is out of the way, you can get to the actual meat of the
sentence.  It too has a strict order: object-verb-subject.  The object is
the thing/person/whatever that the action of the sentence happens to.  The
verb is the action of the sentence.  The subject is what performs the
action.  The subject and object are both optional, but if either is there,
it must be in its correct postion with respect to the verb.  Always,
always, always.  Okay, there's one exception, for formal toasts.  But
that's it.

2. Verb suffixes may only be used on verbs, and on pronouns acting as the
verb to be.  If you feel obliged to put a verb suffix on a noun, maybe you
need to pay attention to ...

3. Every clause requires a verb.  Every sentence requires a main verb.  

4. Read TKD 4.2.5, especially the paragraph beginning "when used with the
verb tu'..."

5. Klingon has no past tense.  Sentences in simple past tense in English
are translated the same way as sentences in the present tense.  The
perfective has very little to do with the past.

>> Why are there many sticky things under my bed?
>Dochmey Hum law' quSwIj bIngDaq qatlh?
>(I used the word for "chair" because I couldn't find the word for "bed")

The word for bed is QongDaq.  Please add a verb and rearrange the words
into the correct order.

>> How many aliens wear helmets because of asteroids?
>ghopDapmeymo' mIvmey tuQ nov 'ar?

This one is all correct.

>> Are there blue cups in the kitchen (galley)?
>vutpa'Daq baghneQmey SuD'a'?
>(I used "spoons" instead of "cups" because I couldn't find it)

A HIvje' is any kind of drinking vessel.  I didn't intend to confuse with
my word choice; the Qov ideolect of English uses "cup" for 'tumbler' and
'drinknig glass' both. 

> Can you disassemble my attitude control thrusters and that control panel?
>'Iv chuyDaHwIj, SeHlawvetlh je boghomHa'laH?

This one has no grammatical problems, but some vocabulary issues.  Read
carefully: "attitude control" not "altitude control".  Notice that ghom
means "meet, assemble, come together, rendezvous," not "cause to be
assembled."  The meaning of ghomHa' is therefore not scatter as in "I
scatter breadcrumbs" but scatter as in "the birds scattered."  You could
say ghomHa'moH - cause to scatter - but there's a clearer choice.  It's on
page 182.  

Also, be aware that the verb prefix you have chosen indicates that the
speaker is addressing more than one person.  If it were one person, the
prefix would be Da-.

>> Will the children attack each other tomorrow?
> wa'leS puqpu' HIvchuq?

Word order.

>> Were your neighbour's targs noisy yesterday?
> wa'Hu' ram chuS jIllI' targhmey'a'?

Do you have a neighbour with noisy targs?  Interesting that you changed
"yesterday" to "last night."   There's a verb prefix on a noun here.  Verb
prefixes must go on verbs. 

>> When did those old women eat the first meal?
>ghorgh nay' wa'DIch luSop be'pu'vetlh qan?

maj.  nay' is actually dish, like a course at a meal, but it works
sufficiently here.

>> I was an officer before the Romulans destroyed the base.
>waw' luQaw'pu'pa' romuluSnganpu', yaS jIHpu'.

This could say:
"Before the Romulans have finished destroying the base, I will have been an
officer."
"Before the Romulans had destroyed the base, I had been an officer."

The point is, that your -pu' suffixes emphasize that the destruction of the
base and the being an officer are both complete.  The English doesn't imply
that.  There are some examples in TKD that treat -pu' as past tense.  This
is because Marc okrand originally wanted it to be past tense, but had to
change it when a line changed. 

>> I won't be present when the shuttle arrives, because I'm going to Earth in
>> the  morning.
>
> po tera' vIjaH. pawDI' lupDujHom, jISaHbe'.

A very reasonable solution to the problem of the complex sentence.  
                                
After you have attempted corrections to these, have a look at Melody's work:

/tlhIngan-Hol/2001/May/msg00028.html
and
/tlhIngan-Hol/2001/May/msg00088.html

Then ask me if you have any questions about your solutions.

Next assignment:

Translate the sentences below, and then go back and check that your
prefixes and your word order is correct in every clause.  

Three years ago, a brave warrior killed a mugato.
While they were fighting, the mugato's claw wounded the warrior's skin.
The damage was minor, but the warrior began to weaken.
Damn!  The animal's claws are toxic!
A special woman can cure the disease.
Klingons never rely on alien women.
If you go to that planet, you can see the Klingon's bones.

Please also tell me if you have the first edition (pocket book size, blue)
or the second edition (trade paperback size, white with three Klingon faces
on the cover) of TKD.  Here I have given you grammar and vocabulary that
can be found in the first edition alone.


Qov


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