tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu May 20 12:01:30 2004

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Re: Klingon WOTD: pop (n)

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

> >>  jonlu'meH wo'maj pop tIn law' Hoch tIn puS
> >>  Our Empire's highest bounty has been placed on his head. (ST5 notes)

quljIb:
> >Comparative-as-subject...interesting. Didn't know you could do that.

taD:
>I think that phrase is using {jonlu'meH wo'maj pop} as the first noun in a
>law'/puS comparative, and not actually using the law'/puS phrase as the
>subject of a verb.
>Since {jonlu'meH} has {-lu'}, {jon} doesn't have a (specified) subject, and
>since it has {-meH}, it isn't the main verb of the sentence. {jonlu'meH} is
>just modifying {wo'maj pop}, in the same way that in {pe'meH taj}, {pe'meH}
>modifies {taj}.
>To make this clearer, you can translate the quote more literally as "The
>in-order-to-capture reward of our empire is more than anything else".

I think you're both mis-analyzing it.  It's not {[jonlu'meH wo'maj pop] tIn 
law' Hoch tIn puS} but

   jonlu'meH <[wo'maj pop] tIn law' Hoch tIn puS>
   For capturing, our Empire's reward is the largest of all.

where I've bracketed the actual law'/puS phrase.  IOW, {jonlu'meH} is a 
subordinate purpose clause, introducing the *entire* {A Q law' Hoch Q puS} 
clause; it's not part of the A element.

Here's another law'/puS example with an introductory purpose clause:

   tlhutlhmeH <HIq ngeb qaq law' bIQ qaq puS>
   Drinking fake ale is better than drinking water. TKW
   ("For drinking, fake ale is better than water.")

Notice how Okrand repeated "drinking" before both nouns in his idiomatic 
English translation but did not repeat {tlhutlhmeH} before {bIQ}.

We've seen him use other types of introductory phrases as well:

   reH latlh qabDaq <qul tuj law' Hoch tuj puS>
   The fire is always hotter on someone else's face. PK

   qIbDaq SuvwI''e' <SoH Dun law' Hoch Dun puS>
   You would be the greatest warrior in the galaxy. ST5

   noH ghoblu'DI' <yay quv law' Hoch quv puS>
   In war there is nothing more honorable than victory. TKW

   tlhIngan wo' yuQmey chovlu'chugh <Qo'noS potlh law' Hoch potlh puS>
   The principal planet of the Klingon Empire, Qo'noS... S27



-- 
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons

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