tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Jul 21 09:49:28 2005
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Re: comparative as question
ter'eS:
> >That initial {nuq} seems wrong, too. I realize that
> >it can fit in the N slot, since it's a noun, but it's
> >really being used like an adjective: "as for this table
> >and that table, _which one_ is the big one...". And we
> >know from MO's past comments that you can't use {nuq}
> >with an adjectival meaning like that.
QeS lagh:
>That's a valid point. But would you permit {nuq tIn law' latlh tIn puS} on
>its own (ignoring the issue with {latlh})? The meaning there is "what is
>bigger than the other(s)?" Since {raSvam'e' raSvetlh'e' je} is a header,
>{nuq} is not actually grammatically tied to either of them, so can still
>function as a normal question word, IMHO. {nuq} is only linked to {raSvam'e'
>raSvetlh'e' je} semantically, not grammatically. All that's happening is
>that the scope of {nuq} is being limited. I see it as similar to the English
>utterance "What do you want to drink, lemonade or beer?"
No. Unlike English "what" and "where", {nuq} and {nuqDaq} can't be used as
a relative pronouns, only as as question words. As a good rule of thumb,
if you can substitute "which" for "what" without changing the meaning -
e.g. "Which do you want, lemonade or beer?" - then "what" is a relative
pronoun and you don't use {nuq}. Try to rephrase it using {ngu'} as Okrand
has done a couple of times.
nuH DaneHbogh yIngu'!
Which [What] weapon do you want?
("Identify the weapon that you want!") (KGT 105)
jar DamaSqu'bogh yIngu'!
What/which is your favorite month?
("Identify the month that you very much prefer!") (st.klingon)
{nuq tIn law' raSvam tIn puS} is legal, but it's a general question meaning
"What is bigger than this table?" The answer replaces {nuq}: {jol SeHlaw
tIn law' raSvam tIn puS} "The transporter control panel is bigger than this
table". But if you want to say "Which table (of two) is bigger?" you have
to rephrase it... and we're back to our original question.
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons