tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri May 18 15:47:47 2001
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RE: KLBC first post (p'an)
- From: "Library" <[email protected]>
- Subject: RE: KLBC first post (p'an)
- Date: Fri, 18 May 2001 15:44:47 -0700
- Organization: NLK Consultants Inc
- Priority: normal
lab p'an:
> p'an jIH. mu'tlheghvam nIchov'a'?
> Will you evaluate these sentances?
jang taD:
> Double check your verb prefix here: {nI-} means "they - you", so
> {nIchov'a'} would mean "Will they evaluate you?"
In addition to the prefix error -- I suspect p'an read the table backwards-
-there is another problem here.
"Will you evaluate them?" is not the same as "Will the Romulans attack
tomorrow?" The first is a question about current willingness. The
second is a question about the future. To translate the question about
the future, the simple <wa'leS HIv'a' romuluSngan?> is correct. But to
translate "Will you evaluate them?" you need to realize that it means "Are
you willing to evaluate them?" Then it becomes obvious that you need
the type-2 verb suffix -qang.
mu'tlheghvam DIchovqang'a'?
I am imagining a Klingon trying to learn English, being told that "will" in a
sentence can either be an indefinite time stamp meaning an action hasn't
started yet (a weird concept for a speaker of a language that doesn't
have tense) OR it can be equivalent to -qang.
Robyn Stewart or Ivana Niseteo
Library - NLK Consultants Inc.
855 Homer Street
Vancouver, BC, V6B 5S2
Tel: (604) 689-0344
Fax: (604) 443-1000