tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Nov 23 04:34:18 2004

Back to archive top level

To this year's listing

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]

Re: how long is it?, etc.

MorphemeAddict ([email protected]) [KLI Member] [Hol taghwI']

In a message dated 2004-11-22 2:04:52 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
[email protected] writes:

> Voragh:
> > >>You may have to use {ngu'} with a relative clause as we've seen
> > >>in other questions of this type:
> > >>  'uj 'ar 'abbogh yIngu'!
> > >>   Identify how many ujes it measures!
> 
> lay'SIv:
> >What other questions of this type have we seen?
> 
> One example of an imperative + relative clause is from st.klingon 
> (12/12/1996):
> 
>    So what about the "what" (or "which") of your original question
>    ("What/which is your favorite month?")?  When asking someone a
>    question of this type, you are really asking him or her to make
>    a choice.  So just be a Klingon and order them to do so:
>    "Identify the month that you very much prefer!":
> 
>       jar DamaSqu'bogh yIngu'
> 
> another from st.klingon (7/1999):
> 
>    Daq DaDabbogh yIngu'
>    Identify the place where you live (i.e. Where do you live?)
> 
>    Perhaps a translation such as "Identify the place that you
>    live at" or "Identify the place that you inhabit" is more
>    revealing."
> 
> and one from KGT (p.105):
> 
>    Similarly, if a Klingon wants to know something, he or she
>    may simply demand that the information be given. For example,
>    a common way to say Which weapon do you want? is not as a
>    question at all but instead as a command:
>       nuH DaneHbogh yIngu'!
>    (literally, "Identify the weapon that you want!").
> 
> 
> 
> >                                                This example looks
> >like a Question-As-Object, and is therefore controversial at best.
> 
> I'm not sure of your point, since {'uj 'ar} "how many ujes?" is not a 
> complete question (that is, it's not a properly formed sentence since it 
> lacks a verb), just a noun phrase used as the object of the verb {'ab}, 
> similar to {nIn 'ar} in:
> 
>    nIn 'ar wIghaj?
>    How much fuel do we have (left)?  TKD/CK/PK
> 
> >Although I don't have any canon examples similar to it, the sentence
> >above could (perhaps) be given better as
> >{'uj mI' 'abbogh yIngu'!} - Identify the number of uj it measures!
> 
> Your version with {mI'} feels clumsy.  I suppose you could just use {'uj} 
> alone:
> 

None of the examples you give with a relative clause also contains a question 
word.  Even without a verb to make the utterance a complete sentence, the 
question word still carries the sense of a question expecting an answer.   
Therefore my QAO remark.

Soy'law' *mI'* 'e' vIchID.  vIchuppu', 'ach vIwIvbe'.  

lay'tel SIvten

Back to archive top level