tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Jun 14 16:51:16 2005

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Re: Mr. Charles, wISuchqapu'

QeS lagh ([email protected]) 

ja'pu' juDmoS:

>Take these tears from my eyes and let me see
>Just a spark of the love that used to be
>If you love somebody new let me me find a new love too
>Take these chains from my heart and set me free

>jIHvaD bIghajbe'choHbogh parmaq 'ay''e'
>vIleghlaHmeH mInDu'wIj tInIjbe'choHmoH

I understand this to mean "In order that I am able to see a piece of the 
love that you stopped having for me, cause my eyes to stop leaking!"

If that is true, then there are two errors here - which is not bad, 
considering that this is a very long sentence for Klingon. {parmaq 'ay''e'}, 
being the object of {bIghajbe'choHbogh} "which you stopped having", must 
come before it, in normal OVS word order. Also, you need to change {bI-} to 
{Da-} to agree with {parmaq 'ay''e'}. Sometimes a noun with {-'e'} can stand 
as a header, but I don't think that the sentence calls for that.

So: {jIHvaD parmaq 'ay''e' Daghajbe'choHbogh} "a piece of the love which you 
stopped having for me".

As well, while it's not illegal to have the suffix {-'e'} here, you don't 
really need it. In relative clauses like this one, we generally use {-'e'} 
to flag the head noun: {puq leghbogh yaS'e'} "the officer who saw the 
child", {puq'e' leghbogh yaS} "the child whom the officer saw". Since 
there's only one noun involved in your clause, which is therefore the head 
by default, {-'e'} isn't really necessary; but as I say, it's not illegal 
either.

>bong'e' chu' DaghajchoHchugh

"If you have begun having a new love". Pretty good, but remember that when 
you use an adjectival verb with a noun in this way, any type 5 suffixes are 
actually put on the adjectival verb: {bang chu''e'} ({bang}, not {bong}, 
which is an adverb meaning "accidentally").

>ghIq vItu' 'e' chochaw'qu'

"You very much permit that after that I will find it". Remember the 
discussion we had a few weeks ago: {ghIq} means "then, subsequently, after 
that"; {vaj} is what you're looking for here. As well, {cho-} "you (sg)-me" 
can't be used with {'e'} as far as we know - you'd need {Da-} - but the 
original is imperative: "Let me find a new love too!", so {yI-} is what 
you're looking for.

Finally, this sentence sounds like you're going to find the new love that 
your ex-partner already has found. I suggest the use of {wa'} "one" instead: 
{wa' vItu' je} "I will find one too".

So: {vaj wa' vItu' je 'e' yIchaw'qu'} "then very much permit that I will 
find one too!"

>tIqwIjvo' mIrvam tIteq 'ej HItlhabmoH

We've done this one already. ;) Very good work, all up. Keep it up!

Savan,

QeS lagh
taghwI' pabpo' / Beginners' Grammarian


not nItoj Hemey ngo' juppu' ngo' je
(Old roads and old friends will never deceive you)
     - Ubykh Hol vIttlhegh

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