tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sat Mar 02 03:04:06 2002
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Re: [KLBC] -lu' and -ghach
- From: "Rohan Fenwick" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: [KLBC] -lu' and -ghach
- Date: Sat, 02 Mar 2002 07:52:14
jatlh SuStel:
>One of the problems people have when trying to use /-lu'/ is that they get
>mixed up between "indefinite subject" and "passive voice." English has a
>passive voice, Klingon does not (passive Klingon?!?). The active voice
>version of "qagh is eaten" is "someone eats qagh," and it is this active
>voice version that you should think about when translating.
bIlughbej. 'ach tlhIngan Hol mu'tlheghmey wImughDI', lo'laH "passive voice".
bIjatlhpu':
>qagh Soplu'.
>Someone unspecified eats qagh.
>("qagh is eaten.")
>[SoH] Daqawlu'taH
>An unspecified subject will continuously remember you.
>(Better English is the passive voice here: "You will be remembered." But
>the KLINGON sentence is not passive.)
>quSvamDaq ba'lu''a'?
>Does someone unspecified sit in this chair?
>("Is this seat taken?")
In these three sentences, the Klingon indefinite subject *can translate*
into English passive voice, and I have found that the passive makes for a
good device for translating Klingon to English, so it works in one
direction. However, SuStel is correct: the two are not equal, and the
opposite direction doesn't always work.
Qapla' 'ej Satlho'
ro'Han
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