tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Sep 06 21:12:51 2002
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
Re: HeghmeH QaQbogh jaj yIngu'
>>From: "Bartholomew Barker" <[email protected]>
>>> cha'maH cha' ben bIboghba'pu'. pIj bIghItlhHa'. bIghItlhpu'DI' mu'meylIj
>>> tIlaD 'ej tIlaDqa'. motlh qayajtaHvIS, rut qayajbe'chu'. yIyep! yIqar!
>>
>>Hee hee! bIjatlhnISbej <yIyep'eghmoH! yIqar'eghmoH!>
tulwI':
>what's the difference?
I've been thinking about this, tried to "understand" it, and find some kind of "logic" behind it.
Well, I think the reason is that you can not command somebody to BE something (how would you do that?),
but you can command someone to DO someting, which would be "cause oneself to be s.th.".
You have to DO something, before you can BE whatever (even if it's merely *thinking about* becoming a
quality).
SuStel:
>and the /-moH/, and no doubt someone will point out some line by Okrand in
>which this was done, but KGT makes it pretty explicit that when verbs of
>quality are used imperatively and non-idiomatically, they are also reflexive
>and causative.)
On the KCD there's a scene where the captain shouts at his crew {yItamchoH} "become quiet".
I don't know if this is canon, and I don't remember if he talks to one or more people.
Oh yes, on PK (opening scene), the terran says {yIjotchoH} "become calm".
Although there is a little difference, it's very close.
"Be calm!", i.e. "Calm down"
yIjotchoH "change to be calm"
yIjot'eghmoH "cause yourself to be calm"
In both cases, the adressee has to change from "not calm" to "calm".
If the person is calm already, these sentences are not the best.
I suggest:
"Be calm!", i.e. "Stay cool."
yIjottaH "be continuously calm"
Quvar.