tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun May 18 13:45:47 2003
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RE: JangmeH toch De'wI' lo'
I probably would have stated your sentence differently and avoided -lu' altogether. The thing I disagree with you on the most is your thought about tense. I agree that there is no future tense (i.e. I WILL do something), but there is definitely a past tense (-pu' or -ta') and in some cases a present tense (-taH). Of course -taH is only used when you need to specify that the action is ongoing. Going back to page 40 in the dictionary, Okrand does state that "Klingon does not express tenses...", but he goes on to say, "Verbs with no Type 7 suffix are translated by the English simple present tense...translated by the English future tense...where the present-tense verb refers..." This statement implies that Klingons themselves are probably not aware of the Terran concept of tense, but when we translate Klingon into English we find that Klingon does in fact have tense, whether or not Klingons take this into consideration. Aspect, in most cases, is identified to us through the word "tense." I still think that if I were to say the phrase, "I knew," I would say, "jISovpu'." "I hate you," to "qamuStaH," (though a personal note, I hardly use -taH with verbs that are not direct action verbs such as run, play, throw, etc.). "We will win," to "maQap." What are your thoughts about this?
DloraH <[email protected]> wrote: > > > pong cherlu' tlhIngan Hol vISovchu'pa'.
> > "The name was established before I completely knew the klingon
language."
>
> "The name was established before I completely knew the KL." Why
> use lu' on the first segment, then?
-lu' is the indefinate subject. I am not saying "I established it" or that
"he/she established it"; I do not specify who did the establishing, I am
merely saying that it was established.
(see TKD p38,39)
> And how do you say "was established" or "knew"?
/cherlu'/, /Sov/
> I ask only because both segments lack the past tense suffix.
There is no such thing as a past tense suffix. Klingon does not have tense.
(see TKD p40)
But we know that I am refering to the past because I am already using that
name. I have been using it for years; so I can't say that it will become
established as my name at some point in time in the future.
> Explain your reason, please, and why you
> would use -lu' (I wouldn't in this case, that's all).
What would you use?
DloraH
Glory to you, and to your House.
taHjaj wo'
Qapla'
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