tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Aug 26 10:51:59 2004

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Re: waH

...Paul ([email protected]) [KLI Member] 

On Thu, 26 Aug 2004 [email protected] wrote:
> > {'Iv SoH}
> > and
> > {SoH 'Iv}
> I don't think they are the same.  Both {'Iv} and {SoH} can be verbs, but both
> sentences only work when the verb is second.  Negate these and you get {'Iv
> SoHbe'} and {SoH 'Ivbe'} ("You aren't who?" and "Who aren't you?").  Neither
> {'Ivbe' SoH} nor {SoHbe' 'Iv} makes sense because the subject and verb don't
> agree.

I don't understand what you're saying here.  Why do these sentences only
work if the verb is second?

/'Iv SoH/  - verb could be /'Iv/ "You (are who)?" or /SoH/  "(You are)
who?"
/SoH 'Iv/  - verb could be /SoH/ "Who (are you)?" or /'Iv/ "(Who are)
you?"

Given that, this doesn't affect at all how these could be negated --
although with the addition of the negative suffix, the verb becomes
identifiable:

/'Ivbe' SoH/ "You are who not?"
/'Iv SoHbe'/ "You aren't who?"
/SoHbe' 'Iv/ "Who are you not?"
/SoH 'Ivbe'/ "Who not are you?"

If anything, I'd say the pattern is that the suffix on /'Iv/ -- not the
ordering -- is what makes these things odd...

I would definitely prefer one of the /SoHbe'/ constructs rather than the
other two, but this shows that it's not the order that matters even in
this case.

If I could make generalizations, I might say that:

* Regular pronouns may be used as verbs to represent "to be"
* The question words /'Iv/ and /nuq/ may be used as pronouns.
* Question words are not *actually* pronouns, and thus cannot be used as
  verbs "to be".

Using this generalization, /SoHbe' 'Iv/ and /'Iv SoHbe'/ would be the only
"legal" ways to convey,  "Who are you not?" and "You aren't who?"
(respectively).  This also would answer the question such as "Could I say
/nuqlIj/ for 'your what?'"

I think these rules match known canon (is there any canon that does not
subscribe to these derived "rules"?) but obviously that doesn't mean it's
correct...  I think it's a clean derivative, though, and answers a lot of
unanswered questions.

...Paul

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