tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Aug 15 14:56:35 2002

Back to archive top level

To this year's listing



[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]

Re: Aw: Re: adverbials



nuQum tulwI':

>tulwI' jang DloraH:
>
>(btw: is "jang" transitive or do i have to say /tulwI'vaD jang DloraH/ or 
>something like that?)

We don't know.  Our only examples come from two Klingon jokes in "Power 
Klingon":

Joke #1:

   'avwI'vaD jatlh qama' <<jIghung.>>
   A prisoner says to the guard, "I am hungry."

   jang 'avwI' <<jIghung je.>>
   The guard replies, "I am also hungry."

   jatlh qama' <<jI'oj>>
   The prisoner says, "I am thirsty."

   jang 'avwI' <<jI'oj je>>
   The guard replies, "I am also thirsty."

   jatlh qama' <<jIDoy'qu'>>
   The prisoner says, "I am very tired."

   jatlh 'avwI' <<jIDoy'be'!>>
   The guard says, "I am NOT tired!"

Joke #2:

   Qo'noSDaq paw cha' DIvI' beq.
   Two Federation crewmen arrive on Kronos.

   tlhIngan 'avwI' lughom.
   They meet a Klingon guard.

   lutlhob <<naDevvo' vaS'a'Daq majaHlaH'a'?>>
   They ask him, "Can we get to the Great Hall from here?"

   jang 'avwI' <<lIchopbe'chugh ghewmey!>>
   The guard answers, "If the bugs do not bite you!"

Notice in both these jokes that, since the 3rd person singular object 
prefix is the "null" prefix, {jang X} can also be translated as "X answers 
him" as well as "X answers" with both translations making sense in context.

{jang} certainly seems to behave as {jatlh} "say, speak" does with regard 
to direct quotes.  So if {jang} also works like {tlhob} "ask, request, 
plead" does in the second joke - not unreasonable, as they are related 
concepts - then I may be able to reply to your question with:

   qajang <<maSovbe'>>
   I answer you: "We don't know."



-- 
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons



Back to archive top level