tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed May 26 20:02:21 2004

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Re: core semantic case roles: agent, patient, focus

David Trimboli ([email protected]) [KLI Member] [Hol po'wI']

From: <[email protected]>

> In a message dated 2004-05-26 2:23:05 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> [email protected] writes:
>
> > Okrand is here *defining* the terms "subject" and "object."  Surely,
when a
> > careful linguist like Okrand defines terms, he does so correctly.  When
he
> > says "action," he must *mean* "action," right?
> >
> To define an object he has to use an action verb.  Quality verbs don't
take
> objects.
>
> Okrand wrote TKD for the lay public.  His works are full of errors.  The
> terminology is often imprecise.  He has NOT been a 'careful linguist'.
>
> Every time he says "action" or "activity" he means verb, yes, but he was
not
> being accurate, because there are at least two kinds of verbs in Klingon.
> Just look at all the examples you yourself gave.  He simply
overgeneralized his
> statements about verbs.  We already know that we have to take canon with a
> grain of salt, at least *I* do.  This is another (big) instance where this
is true.


Er, yes, I was being sarcastic.  I was largely reacting to Voragh's recent
statement: "Okrand doesn't discuss these 'fine points' explicitly, merely
hints at them, but an examination of the corpus shows that he's consistent
in his
usage.  As an academically trained linguist Okrand uses his terms very
carefully, even if he sometimes doesn't share the distinctions with us."

When Okrand says "action" in TKD, he's not distinguishing between "action"
verbs and "quality" verbs.

SuStel
Stardate 4402.8

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