tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Jun 12 05:36:27 2003

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Re: -meH



DloraH:

>ghojmeH taj   boy's knife ("knife for learning")
>vutmeH 'un ("pot for preparing [food]"), 
>pe'meH taj, a "knife for cutting."

>Ok, the first two could be "clipped" klingon.
>The other three could be a null prefix for "he"{ghaH}.

Could it not be just like what we know as "infinitive"?
{pe'meH} =
   "in order to" + "cut"
   "in order" + "to cut"
   "for the purpose of"  "to cut"
   "for" + "to cut"
   "for the purpose of cutting" 
   "in order to cut"

>But this one:
>>>>
>How much do you want for that? 
>  Dochvetlh DIlmeH Huch 'ar DaneH
><<<
>
>vI- would be the appropriate prefix.

Would it?
"How much do you want for that?" is a general question, no matter *who* pays for it.

I see it as a noun-noun construction:

  {Huch} - "money"
  {DIlmeH Huch} - "money to pay (s.th.)"
  {Dochvetlh DIlmeH Huch} - "money to pay this thing"

  {Huch 'ar DaneH}
  "How much money do you want?"

  {Dochvetlh DIlmeH Huch 'ar DaneH}
  "How much 'money-to-pay-this-thing' do you want?"

We have something similar in TKD section 6.2.4:
>>>>>>>>>>>>
{ja'chuqmeH rojHom neH jaghla'} 
"The enemy commander wishes a truce (in order) to confer." 

The prase {ja'chuqmeH rojHom} "a truce (in order) to confer" is the object of the verb 
{neH}
[...] a noun {rojHom} "truce" preceeded by the purpose clause {ja'chuqmeH} "for the 
purpose of conferring" or "in order to confer."
<<<<<<<<<<<<

One could also parse this differently, and I think most people read it like that:

  {Dochvetlh DIlmeH}
  "To pay for this thing... "

  {Huch 'ar DaneH}
  "...how much money do you want?"

but I still think it's not meant like that. :-) 

TKD 6.2.4 says "The purpose clause always precedes the noun or verb whose purpose it 
is describing"

1. our "purpose clause" is {DIlmeH} or even {Dochvetlh DIlmeH}.
2. our "noun whose purpose it is describing" is {Huch}

The purpose of the "money" is "to pay for" this "thing". I ask you, how much (of this) 
money do you want?

I hope my explanations were not too confusing or crazy, and if they are, just read section 
6.2.4 again, or scroll back ;-)

Quvar.
  "batlh 'Iw muvmeH 
  Hem vumwI' tlhab"

P.S. or ask me!














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