tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Nov 21 07:37:17 2005

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Re: I'm thankful for ...

Steven Boozer ([email protected])



naHQun:
 > I'm thankful for "blank"  ?
 > I wonder about this every Thanksgiving

lay'tel SIvten:
> >jItlho' vIneHmoH X.
>
>ghobe'. {jItlho' muneHmoH X} "X makes me want to thank". The causative
>suffix demotes the subject of the non-causative verb to object position, but
>the pronoun prefix must change accordingly, so watch out for that.
>
>Anyway, I suspect that this is a bit too literal and wordy a translation of
>the English. ghunchu'wI''s suggestion of {mutlho'moH X} "X causes me to
>thank" works fine, and I also really like his {X-mo' jItlho'} "I thank
>(someone) because of X". I think the impersonal, null-object version of
>{tlho'} captures the sense of "be thankful" very well - plus, you could use
>{-mo'} here on either a noun or a full sentence:
>
>   {qorDu'wIjmo' jItlho'}        "I'm thankful for my family"
>   {Soj 'ey wISoplaHmo' jItlho'} "I'm thankful that we can eat good food"

Both good and the simplest solution, but don't forget we also have the 
homophonous noun {tlho'} "appreciation, gratitude".  Although never used in 
canon, I'm tempted to use it with {ghaj} - on the model of {pIch vIghajbe'} 
"It's not my fault" (TKD) et al. - *{tlho' vIghaj}.  E.g.

   ? qorDu'wIjmo' tlho' vIghaj.
     I'm grateful for my family

   ? qorDu'wIj vIghajmo' tlho' vIghaj.
     I'm appreciative because I have my family

Hmm... that last one sounds nice with the repetition of {vIghaj}, but YMMV.

And just for the sake of completeness, here's what I have in my notes about 
the verb {tlho'} "thank":

   chotlho'
   You thank me. STC:KLS

   qatlho'
   Thank you! STE
   [When Picard told Amb. Kell "*K'adlo* Thank you," Kell gave him an odd
   look, then nodded (or grunted) and left the room. (TNG "The Mind's Eye")

   ARCHER: "I'll take that as a 'thank you'."
   SATO:   "I don't think they have a word for 'thank you'."
   (in the Great Hall on Kronos [ENT "Broken Bow Pt. II"])

   At qep'a' loSDIch Okrand was puzzled by a comment someone made and
   said something like, "There's a word for 'Thank you'?"  Someone told
   him {qatlho'}, and he said something along the lines of, "I never
   intended it to mean "thanks" and elaborated a little on the circum-
   stances it would be used in. (Qov)

   When Marc Okrand signed my TKD I think I said {qatlho'neS}, which was
   probably a bit effusive, but hey, I was excited.  He replied in English
   something close to, 'Well, there's NO Klingon response to that'." (Qov)




--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons






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