tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed May 28 12:25:30 2003

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Re: Hallmark BoP commercial



From: <[email protected]>

> > For one thing, you can't use a verb of action like /vIH/ as an
adjective.
> > Those have to be verbs of quality, like /moH/ "be ugly" or /Dun/ "be
> > wonderful."
>
> vIH is "be in motion".  I can see vIH being a verb of quality, like /mach/
"be
> small", or /SuD/ "be green".  The english is definitely awkward, and
leaving
> behind the english influence I can see this working, especially since it
is
> defined with "be".  MO has even said that in definitions like this, the
"move"
> part is in there for the sake of being able to look up the word.
>
> move, be in motion (v) vIH
> ugly, be ugly (v) moH
> wonderful, be wonderful, great (v) Dun

I suppose it's possible.  Why then did Okrand use /vIHtaHbogh bIQ/ when he
could have used ?/bIQ vIH/ in Power Klingon?  Not for the /-taH/, surely.
That would make /vIH/ as an adjective nearly useless!  (Though, if it were
for the /-taH/ only, we'd finally have concrete proof that you can't use
/-taH/ on an adjectivally-acting verb.)

And if you are correct, why isn't the definition of /vIH/ "motion, be in
motion (v)"?

My preferred interpretation is that /vIH/ means "move," in the sense of
being in motion.  It is an action verb, not a quality verb.

SuStel
Stardate 3405.1


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