tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu May 10 18:40:52 2001

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RE: Expelling Ambiguity



> -----Original Message-----
> From: TPO [mailto:[email protected]]
> Sent: Wednesday, May 09, 2001 6:47 PM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: RE: Expelling Ambiguity
>
>
> > Isn't there some source that says that time elements tend to
> "come at the
> > beginning" of a sentence?  I'm thinking it might be in CONVERSATIONAL
> > KLINGON, in which case I can check it in my car on the way home.  But if
> > it's in CK, it's not going to be a particularly definitive statement: CK
> > tends to oversimplify its description of grammar.  If it says
> "time words
> > come at the beginning of an expression," that's not a very strong
> > indication.  Better would me actually remembering to go through canon
> > tonight and seeing what's already been done.
> >
> > If my instincts are correct (roD DujwIj vIvoq), adverbials TEND to come
> > before header nouns, but are not REQUIRED to do so.  In cases
> > where a header
> > noun (or noun phrase) comes before an adverbial, it will LIKELY
> be a time
> > element, but not necessarily.
>
>
> roD ram qaS wanI' - usually it occurs at night.
>   (sometimes it occurs in the day, but usually at night.)
>
> ram roD qaS wanI' - at night it usually occurs.
>   (this event takes place at night, not every night, but usually it does
> occur)

My reaction to this is similar to SuStel's, only a little stronger. When I
read these two Klingon sentences, they both mean exactly the same thing to
me. {roD} affects the verb {qaS}. So does {ram}. These words only have
meaning because of their connection to the verb. They don't really have any
connection to each other. The second example seems to have the word order
scrambled a little, but I can understand it, and it means exactly what the
first example says, by my understanding of the grammar, anyway.

In English, adverbs can modify verbs or adjectives. In Klingon, adjectives
ARE verbs. In English, the word order is so squishy that the scope of
meaning of a word can change the way you express. In Klingon, word order is
intensely based upon the verbs. The verb is the anchor and everything else
attaches to it. The Relative Clause is the only exception that comes to
mind.

In both cases, the event usually happens and it happens at night. I'd need
context to differentiate between the two English meanings stated, like a
second sentence. {not pem qaS} for one case and {pIjHa' pem qaS} for the
other.

> DloraH

charghwI' 'utlh



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