tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Apr 04 14:12:23 2003

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Re: jajvamDaq wejmaH vagh ben



Krenath, this looks like a beginner's request for assistance.  Quvar is the
Beginners' Grammarian, but he's away for a few days, so I've agreed to help
out.  If you have any other requests for assistance (if that's what this
is), put "KLBC" in the subject like so the Beginners' Grammarian knows he
needs to look at it, and so that others don't pipe in with (possibly)
incorrect information.

From: "Krenath vestai-Veska" <[email protected]>

> "<< pelegh! naDev ghoS najwI' >>
> jatlhchuq chaH

The object of {jatlh} is normally a language or speech or something like
that, not the person to whom you speak.  Saying {jatlhchuq} means "speak
each other," which isn't what you want.

You can use the verb {ja'} "tell, report" here.  With the suffix {-chuq}, it
means "confer, discuss."  Thus,

<pelegh!  naDev ghoS najwI'> ja'chuq chaH.

> << wIHoH
> 'ej najmeylIj San wIlegh >>"

{naj} is only a verb.  There is no corresponding noun.  You're going to have
to recast this.

How about this (as a not-too-careful recasting):

wIHoH 'ej najtaHchugh ngoDvam wIghoj
We will kill him and if he continues to dream we will learn this fact.

This was just my knee-jerk reaction; feel free to improve upon my idea or to
come up with something better!

>     qa'vam wejmaH Soch: wa'maH Hut - cha'maH
>
> (Which is my attempt at translating the quote on the
>  memorial plaque at the National Civil Rights Museum)
>
> Martin Luther King, Jr
> Jan 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968
> Founding President
> Southern Christian Leadership Conference
>
> "They said to one another,
> Behold, here cometh the dreamer.
> Let us slay him
> And we shall see what will become of his dreams."
>
>     Genesis 37:19-20

And while we're here, take a look at your subject line.  It reads

*jajvamDaq wejmaH vagh ben

You're obviously trying to say "On this day 35 years ago."  One problem here
is that {-Daq} only refers to spatial concepts, not just any preposition
with "on" in it in English.  "On this day" isn't a spatial reference, so
{-Daq} is inappropriate here.

When you find yourself trying to use Type 5 noun suffixes in titles, unless
it comes at the very end you're almost always going to come up with
something wrong.  People often try to translate "Klingon for the Galactic
Traveler" as *{qIb lengwI'vaD tlhIngan Hol}, and it's wrong.  As per TKD
section 3, you can't put a Type 5 noun suffix on the first noun of a
noun-noun construction.  However, you CAN say {qIb lengwI' tlhIngan Hol}
"galactic traveler's Klingon language."

So I'd restate your subject as {wejmaH vagh ben jajvam} "this day of 35
years ago," or "35 years ago's this day."  Or even better, I'd translate the
title using a sentence rather than a noun phrase (Klingon titles often
contain verbs, like {ghobchuq loDnI'pu'} "The Brothers Battle Each Other,"
the name of a famous Klingon statue.)  So the subject might be

wejmaH vagh ben qaSbogh wanI'
Event which happened 35 years ago

or something like that.

SuStel
Stardate 3257.4


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