tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Oct 23 10:53:33 2001

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Re: Klingon WOTD: tlhIH (pro)



: Klingon word:   tlhIH
: Part of Speech: pronoun
: Definition:     you (pl)

As used in canon:

  vaj malopmeH tlhIHvaD nob SaSuqpu'.
  So to celebrate, I've gotten you all a gift. (Hallmark)

To make up for the lack of further examples, here are a few Okrandian comments
on pronouns in general from my notes:

  "Pronouns may be used as nouns, but only for emphasis or added
   clarity." (TKD 52)

  "There is no verb corresponding to English 'to be' in Klingon.
   On the other hand, all pronouns (section 5.1) can be used as
   verbs, in the sense of 'I am', 'you are', etc. ... When there
   is a definite subject, it follows the pronoun and takes the
   {-'e'} topic suffix. 
      {puqpu' chaH qama'pu''e'}
      The prisoners are children
      (As for the prisoners, they are children.)" (TKD 69f) 

The standard, non-Sakrej-dialect, usage of locational nouns like {'et} "area in
front" and {bIng} "area below, area under" puts them after pronouns. {SoH 'et}
"your area-in-front" is a standard possessive construction:

  "A pronoun may be used instead of a noun: {jIH 'em} ('behind me' - 
   literally, 'I area behind'), {chaH bIng} ('below them' - literally,
   'them area below')." (KGT 24)

Okrand communicated privately with members of the KSRP that pronouns, being a
subset of nouns, could indeed be used with stative verbs. Thus, {SoH po' law'
jIH po' puS} is correct. (HolQeD 4.2:3)



-- 
Voragh                       
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons


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