tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Jan 02 16:56:56 2003
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Re: DVD
...Paul asks:
>David Trimboli wrote:
> > motlh pab taQ chennISmoHbogh Okrand vIparHa'. Hol DajmoH.
>
>Should there not be a -'e' emphasis on { pab } here? :)
It wouldn't hurt. It's not required by the grammar, but it's often a good
idea when the topic could be easily misconstrued or there's no context to
rely on.
I believe it was Capt. Krankor who suggested regularly tagging the topic in
relative {-bogh} clauses with {-'e'}. Okrand later approved this good idea
and began doing it himself:
butlh ghajbogh nuv'e' yIHo'
Admire the person with dirt under his fingernails. TKW
yIntaHvIS qeylIS'e' lIjlaHbe'bogh vay' batlh 'etlhvam chenmoHlu'pu'
this sword of honor descends from the time of Kahless the Unforgettable. S8
qorDu'Daj tuq 'oS Ha'quj'e' tuQbogh wo'rIv
The sash that Worf wears is a symbol of his family's house. S20
choH lISbogh Hap'e': cha'pujqut
Reaction Moderating Element - Crystalline Dilithium. KBoP
>Just to be sure, theoretically, both the following are correct literal
>translations, right?
>
>"Usually I like Okrand, who needed to create wierd grammar."
>"Usually I like the wierd grammar which Okrand needed to create."
Correct.
>Obviously the latter was the intended translation, based on context (gotta
>love that context... Mmm mmm good!)
No doubt, which was probably why David omitted the {-'e'}. However, notice
that the subject of his second sentence is also ambiguous:
Hol DajmoH.
He (i.e. Okrand) makes the language interesting.
It (i.e. Okrand's weird grammar) makes the language interesting.
Using {-'e'} would have let the reader know in no uncertain terms just
which meaning he had in mind.
OTOH, if David actually meant *both* versions, not tagging the topic with
{'e'} was a very subtle stylistic touch! Sometimes ambiguity can sometimes
be a good thing, even at the risk of it not being appreciated by everyone.
--
Voragh "Damage control is easy. Reading
Klingon--that's
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons hard!" (Montgomery Scott to
Kirk, STIV)