tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Mar 24 19:51:20 2004

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Re: -Daq on numbers?

De'vID jonwI' ([email protected]) 

QeS lagh:
>>If we can use a number as a noun (representing one of a group here), then
>>that should mean that we can use noun suffixes on them. {wa'qoq yIHoH} 
>>"kill
>>the so-called one of them" (for instance, talking about an impostor) might
>>be difficult to interpret, but it *appears* to make more sense in Klingon
>>than it does in English.

Voragh:
>Really?  This sounds like gibberish to me - in either language.  He isn't a
>"so-called one" - what is he, actually a "two"? - but rather a so-called
>something (e.g. a so-called warrior, a so-called diplomat, a so-called
>scientist).  Still, we could ask Maltz.

I can see a situation where <wa'qoq> would make sense in Klingon
though.  Suppose that Kahless and Morath join together in a temporary
alliance to fight Molor.  (For those Klingonists who don't follow
Star Trek, Kahless is a legendary Klingon hero, Morath is his brother
who betrayed him, and Molor is a tyrant whom Kahless overthrew.)

So Kahless sends a message to Molor: <maboqchuq moratlh jIH je.
DaH muvchuq mangghommeymaj 'ej wa' mangghom lumoj.  yIHeghrup!>

Knowing the history of tension between Kahless and Moratlh,
Molor might reply with: <wa'qoq mangghomraj vISuvrupbej>.  That
is, "I am prepared to fight your so-called-one army", indicating
his belief that the alliance would fall through.  If he had said,
<wa' mangghomqoq vISuvrupbej>, that would have been "I am prepared
to fight your one so-called-army", indicating that he didn't really
believe it was an army.

Okay, so it was a contrived situation, but the point is that
<wa'qoq> *can* make sense in Klingon.

--
De'vID

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