tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Nov 15 12:25:33 2001
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
Re: I had an idea, I don't know how...
qurgh wrote:
: I had said to someone, "My computer crashed today, I
: don't know why...". The first part was easy:
:
: DaHjaj mevpu' De'wI'wIj... (I used mev cause I couldn't think of
: anything better at the time)
Perhaps, "suddenly stopped" works better for "crashed":
DaHjaj pay' mev De'wI'wIj.
{mev} "stop, cease" is more often used with another verb:
DaHjaj Qap 'e' (pay') mev De'wI'wIj.
Today my computer (suddenly) stopped functioning.
But if you're going to say that, it's simpler to use *{QapHa'} "malfunction".
Another verb might be {Qop} "be worn out". The Type 3 suffix {-choH} "change
in state" is ideal here:
DaHjaj pay' QapHa'choH De'wI'wIj.
Today my computer suddenly malfunctioned.
Today my computer suddenly began malfunctioning.
DaHjaj pay' QopchoH De'wI'wIj.
Today my computer suddenly wore out.
: Then I tried to translate "I don't know why." The first thing that
: came to mind was:
:
: qatlh jISovbe'
Break it up into two thoughts and use punctuation:
DaHjaj pay' QopchoH De'wI'wIj. qatlh? jISovbe'.
Today my computer crashed. Why? I don't know.
or
qatlh DaHjaj pay' QopchoH De'wI'wIj? jISovbe'.
Why did my computer crash today? I don't know.
or a bit fancier:
<<qatlh>> vISovbe'.
I don't know the "why".
Another option:
meq vISovbe'.
I don't know the reason.
This probably isn't right, though. What we really want is "reason, cause".
{meq} "reason" is also glossed "motive" in KGT, so using {meq} may imply that
your computer is sentient and consciously chose to crash. (NB: Sentient
computers are fairly common in Trek!) In KGT we are told that a slang
equivalent to {meq} is {mo'} "motive, motivation, grounds, reason, rationale"
which further supports this.
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons