tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Mar 31 14:54:24 2004

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Re: {tlhob} vs. {ghel} vs. {yu'}

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

[I'm finally getting around to answering De'vID's question...]

marqoS:
> >>"Ask another question"
> >{yItlhobqa'!} is "Ask again!"

De'vID:
><tlhob> means "ask" in the sense of "ask someone to do something",
>"ask someone for something", i.e. "request" or "plead".   I
>don't think it can be used to mean "ask a question", which
>is <ghel> "ask (a question)" or <yu'> "question, interrogate",
>although *perhaps* a Klingon might see a question as a kind of
>request or plea.

Okrand discussed {tlhob} and {ghel} in HolQeD (7:4):

   What I wanted to do with {tlhob} and {ghel} is to distinguish
   between two different meanings for the English verb "ask".
   There are two "ask"'s. There's the "ask" where you ask a
   question and there's "ask" where you make a request. I wanted
   it to be two different verbs, though apparently there are times
   when the "request" verb is used to ask a question as well.  So
   maybe the way it works is that {ghel} can ask a question and
   only as a question and the other one can mean that and is also
   used to request or plead or something like that.

>Voragh, what are the canon uses of <tlhob>, <ghel>, and <yu'>?

{ghel} "ask (a question)"

   Never used in canon.

{yu'}  "question, interrogate"

   qayu'
   I interrogate you. KLS

{tlhob} "ask, request, plead"

   juDev 'ej Dujvam ra'wI' DagheS 'e' vItlhob
   I ask you to lead us as commander of this ship
   ("I request that you lead us and that you assume the duties
     of commander of this ship.") KGT

   qatlhob
   I ask you. KLS

   lutlhob =ABnaDevvo' vaS'a'Daq majaHlaH'a'?=BB
   They ask him, "Can we get to the Great Hall from here?" PK

The opposite action to {tlhob} in the PK example is {jang}:

   jang 'avwI' =ABlIchopbe'chugh ghewmey!=BB
   The guard answers, "If the bugs do not bite you!" PK

Here's the joke in full:

   Qo'noSDaq paw cha' DIvI' beq.
   Two Federation crewmen arrive on Kronos.

   tlhIngan 'avwI' lughom.
   They meet a Klingon guard.

   lutlhob =ABnaDevvo' vaS'a'Daq majaHlaH'a'?=BB
   They ask him, "Can we get to the Great Hall from here?"

   jang 'avwI' =ABlIchopbe'chugh ghewmey!=BB
   The guard answers, "If the bugs do not bite you!"

Two other examples of {jang} "answer, reply" in PK are:

   jang 'avwI' =ABjIghung je.=BB
   The guard replies, "I am also hungry." PK

   jang 'avwI' =ABjI'oj je.=BB
   The guard replies, "I am also thirsty." PK

and Okrand described the use of jang in HolQeD (Dec. 1998: 4-7), which te=
xt=20
I don't have in my notes.


--=20
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons=20

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