tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Aug 13 13:43:46 2004

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Re: Klingon WOTD: wej (adv)

Steven Boozer ([email protected]) [KLI Member] 

> >   wej vIlegh
> >   I don't see him yet. TKD

De'vID:
>I've always been bothered by the homophony with <wej> "three".

Are you bothered by the homophony of English "two"/"too"/"to"?  "I see two" 
and "I see too" sound exactly the same.  How do you keep them straight in 
English?

How about "one"/"won"?  Or "four"/"for"/"for"?  Or "eight"/"ate"?  Or 
"none"/"nun".  Etc.

>If someone was on look-out and he says <wej vIlegh> how am
>I supposed to know if that means "I don't see him/her/them yet"
>or "I see three of them"?

You ask.  If it's a number, add the noun:  {wej 'avwI' vIlegh}.

>Context in that case wouldn't really help.

Sure it does.  What prompted the utterance?  Why does he say anything at all?

If it's an answer to something you've asked, then your question provides 
the context:

Q.  DaH Dalegh'a'?
A.  wej vIlegh.

Q.  ('avwI') 'ar Dalegh?
A.  wej vIlegh.

If the statement is accompanied by an action, then that's the 
context.  E.g. If the lookout suddenly moves out of the light into the 
foliage or puts a hand over your mouth, then he's probably saying {wej} 
"three" -- and they're coming your way!  If he's acting nonchalant, 
careless, yawning and making no attempt to get out of sight, then he 
probably saying {wej} "not yet".

Native speakers automatically filter out the inappropriate options when it 
comes to homophones.  As foreign speakers, we have to do this manually, as 
it were.



-- 
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons

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