tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Feb 09 10:48:21 2003

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Re: {nuq} in "What is" constructions

jatlh SuStel:
> > > I can't for the life of my locate the source, but I'm certain we've 
>had
> > > confirmation from Marc Okrand that the /nuq/ and /'Iv/ work as "to be"
>just
> > > as regular pronouns do.  It would seem not to matter what order you 
>put
>the
> > > words in.

jatlh Paul:
> > Wasn't this covered in Krankor's Grammarian's Desk Reference?
> >
> > Ah yes, flipped right to it.  p23.  Not sure it was ever "officially
> > confirmed", but the whole issue was dealt with there...

jatlh SuStel:
>No, I mean I'm sure Okrand himself announced a finding on this topic, but I
>can't locate it now.

While not directly concerned with the order of 'nuq' versus its predicate, 
Okrand said the following:

Question words (in this case, nuq "what?") function the same way pronouns do 
in questions with "to be" in the English translations.  Thus, the question 
yIH nuq? "What is a tribble?" is exactly parallel the statement yIH 'oH "It 
is a tribble" (where yIH is "tribble" and 'oH is "it").  The answer to the 
question yIH nuq? ("What is a tribble?") would presumably be a definition or 
description of a tribble.

Posted to the old MSN forum on December 12, 1996.  The context is how best 
to ask "What is your favorite month", with "jarlIj qaq nuq" as the suggested 
translation.

While he doesn't actually say it doesn't matter what order they come in, he 
does say that they act like pronouns in "to be" sentences.

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