tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Aug 05 22:20:34 2004
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
Re: TKD phrase: {-meH} clause
- From: [email protected]
- Subject: Re: TKD phrase: {-meH} clause
- Date: Thu, 05 Aug 2004 07:05:07 +0000
ja' lay'tel SIvten:
>{Dochvetlh DIlmeH Huch 'ar DaneH}
>How much do you want for that?
>[lit.: How much money do you want in order to pay for that thing?]
>[TKD p.171] phrase #56
More literal would be "You want how much money in order to pay for that
thing?" The ambiguity in the Klingon question is clearly paralleled in the
English, and it is seen to be far less important than the way you rendered
it suggests. The {Dochvetlh DIlmeH} phrase might be modifying the noun
{Huch}, or {Huch} might be the subject of the purpose clause modifying
the verb {neH}. Which of these was intended when the sentence was
written does not really matter.
Changing it to {vIDIlmeH} yields another valid sentence, but there's no
reason to speculate that the example is incorrect when it works perfectly
well as it is.
-- [puvlI'bogh] ghunchu'wI'