tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon May 10 07:56:45 2004

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Re: 'that' as dem. pron.

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

lay'tel SIVten wrote:

>klingon has no demonstrative pronouns, only demonstrative noun suffixes
>({-vam} and {-vetlh}.
>thus the klingon equivalent of a demonstrative pronoun will always be a noun
>of some kind.  i've made a small list of broad, generic nouns to choose from
>in case no immediately obvious and more specific noun comes to mind.
>Doch = thing, object

Okrand has used {Doch} in this manner several times:

   chay' Dochvam vIlo'
   What do I do with this? (How do I use this?) TKD

   nuqDaq Dochvam vIlan
   What do I do with this? (Where do I put this?) TKD

   Dochvetlh DIlmeH Huch 'ar DaneH
   How much do you want for that?  TKD

   Dochvetlh vISoplaHbe'
   I can't eat that. TKD

   Dochvam nuq
   What is this? CK

   Dochvetlh yItlhap
   [Take that! (untranslated)] PK

   juHwIjDaq Dochvetlh vItlhap
   I will take that to my home. PK

   naDev Dochvetlh qem
   Bring that here! PK

   tajwIj 'oHbe' chorlIj jeqbogh Dochvetlh'e'
   That is not my dagger protruding from your midsection. FTG

>ghu' = situation

   DopDaq qul yIchenmoH QobDI' ghu'
   Set fire on the side when there is danger. PK

>wanI' = event, happening

   naDev qaS wanI' ramqu'
   There's nothing happening here. TKD

   Heghlu'DI' mobbe'lu'chugh QaQqu' Hegh wanI'
   Death is an experience best shared. TKW

>mu', mu' 'ay' = word; piece of language ({QIch} - speech (vocal sounds) might
>work here too.)

Never used by Okrand in this manner AFAIK.

>qech = idea, concept

Never used in canon.

>are there any other broad concepts that can be used like this?  does anyone
>actually use terms like these, or do you actually use only the more specific
>terms that come up in context?

Another common way is simply to repeat the Klingon noun in both the subject 
and predicate.  Re-wording one of Okrand's examples:

   tajwIj 'oHbe' chorlIj jeqbogh tajvetlh'e'
   That is not my dagger protruding from your midsection.
   ("That dagger protruding from your midsection is not my dagger.")

It sounds awkward in English, but not in Klingon.  Thus you would omit one 
of them in translation so it sounds more colloquial:

   That's not my knife sticking out of your gut.
   That dagger protruding from your belly isn't mine.




-- 
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons

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