tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Apr 20 22:18:57 2003
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GI Joe
On Sun, 20 Apr 2003, David Trimboli wrote:
> From: "...Paul" <[email protected]>
> > DaH vISov 'ej Sovlu'DI' rIntaH may' bID.
> >
> > "Now I know, and knowing is half the battle." ;)
>
> Since you provided an English translation, I get to point out how it differs
> from your Klingon. (If you only used the Klingon, I couldn't do this!)
This is exactly why I do it. There isn't always going to be a good match
between something said easily in English and something said easily in
Klingon. So I give my Klingon version, and what I would have said in
English, even if it's not a literal translation...
> "Now I know" is /DaH jISov/. "Now I know it" is /DaH vISov/ or /DaH 'oH
> vISov/.
>
> The no-object prefix also indicates a general object. /jISov/ "I know
> (things in general)."
I don't think the English ever means "know things in general", there's
actually an implied object to the transitive verb "know" (does "know" even
have an intransitive definition in English? Hmm, it does indeed). Given
the context, though, there's still an implied object -- the information
that was being discussed. I suppose if we broke it out completely, it'd
be something like /DaH 'e' vISov/.
meqwIj vIQIjmo' chaq bIQochbe''a'?
"Because I've explained my reasoning, perhaps you'd agree?"
> Nice rendering of "knowing is half the battle." We've got some evidence
> that it should be /bID may'/, but the evidence is not clear I think.
net Sovbejbe''a' mI' 'oHmo' bID? jISIvlI'...
"One doesn't know that for certain because half is a number? I was
wondering..."
...Paul
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