tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Jan 02 07:14:38 2004

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Re: KLBC pawpu' DIS chu'

Scott Willis ([email protected]) [KLI Member] [Hol po'wI']

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Philip Newton" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, January 02, 2004 4:34 AM
Subject: Re: KLBC pawpu' DIS chu'


On Thu, 1 Jan 2004 22:12:27 -0500, "Scott Willis"
<[email protected]> wrote:

> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Philip Newton" <[email protected]>
> To: <[email protected]>
> Sent: Thursday, January 01, 2004 8:56 AM
> Subject: KLBC pawpu' DIS chu'
>
> > > Philip:
> > > pawpu' DIS chu'.
> > > The new year has arrived!
> >
> > Careful here. {paw} may not be able to be used this way. I believe
> > all examples of this verb point to a physical arrival, as opposed to
> > a period of time starting. You might want to consider {tagh} "to
> > begin (a process)".  I'm not saying it's definitely wrong. But be
> > aware of the usage shown us so far.
>
> Philip:
> Thank you.
>
> I considered {tagh} as well, but its gloss suggested to me that it's
> typically a transitive verb: I begin a process.

On this list, we use words like "transitive" and "intransitive" to describe
verbs, but those labels are, admittedly, a little misleading. A better way
to put it is "able to take an object." Apparently, no Klingon verb
*requires* an object. There are simply some that are able to do so.

> Philip:
> And the when the year
> starts, it does not "initiate" anything or "begin a process"; it just
> "begins" or "starts".

The first time I saw this, I had the same objection. But as I thought about
it, it began to make more sense. A year does not just happen, all at once. I
unfolds slowly, over a period of 365 days. A year does start a process, one
of eventual expiration.

> Philip:
> Is {tagh} typically used in such contexts as well, when there is no
> specific process at hand?

I have seen it used many times in this context.

BTW: When a year does expire, we have a separate verb for that: {Dor} "to
end", which takes a subject indicating a period of time. ({DIS} "year",
{jaj} "day", {yIn} "life", etc.)

--ngabwI'
Beginners' Grammarian,
Klingon Language Institute
http://kli.org/
HovpoH 700990.5

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