tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Sep 23 23:58:21 2001

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RE: philosophy (was Re: Pronouns



> -----Original Message-----
> From: David Trimboli [mailto:[email protected]]
> Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2001 4:04 PM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: RE: philosophy (was Re: Pronouns
>
>
> >You're both right - technically, {vaj} ("thus, therefore") is an
> adverbial.
> >It doesn't actually join sentences in the way that {'ej}, {qoj}, {pagh},
> >and
> >{'ach} do.
>
> Technically, /vaj/ is a leftover, as are the sentence
> conjunctions.  They're
> just used differently.
>
> >If I want to say:
> >"I dropped the computer, so it broke"
> >this would technically be two sentences in Klingon, separated by
> a period,
> >semicolon, etc., or a pause in speech if you're talking:
>
> In English you usually pause.  We have a number of sentences in Klingon,
> pronounced by Okrand, where sentences pushed together have no pause.  In
> /bIDIlbe'chugh vaj bIHegh/, there is no pause before the /vaj/.  English
> speech patterns need not be observed when speaking Klingon!

The thing here is that {bIDIlbe'chugh} is not a sentence. It is a dependent
clause. There is only one sentence here. Also, I'm pretty sure that if you
are talking about the canon example from the audiotape, the sentence is
{bIje'be'chugh vaj bIHegh}, which closely resembles the earlier canon
{bIjeghbe'chugh vaj bIHegh}, so it is funnier.

> You can't go shoving together just any sentences in Klingon, though.  You
> have to go along with what evidence we already have to judge that.
>
> >I'm not sure what others think, but I can accept {vaj bIHegh
> bIDIlbe'chugh}
> >as a valid sentence. "Therefore you will die, if you do not pay."
>
> I think it's a valid sentence, but it doesn't follow the traditional
> formula, and so shouldn't be used in such a circumstance.

Good point. {bIDIlbe'chugh vaj bIHegh} fits an ever growing series of
sentences that are immediately recognizable because of their familiarity.
While it is grammatically acceptable to reverse the clauses here, it would
be almost like changing the punch line to one of the traditional Klingon
jokes: Not advisable. {bIjeghbe'chugh vaj bIHegh. bIje'be'chugh vaj bIHegh.
bIDIlbe'chugh vaj bIHegh.}

> SuStel
> Stardate 1718.9

charghwI'



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