tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Oct 02 18:05:03 2005
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Re: targhmey
- From: "QeS lagh" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: targhmey
- Date: Mon, 03 Oct 2005 11:04:48 +1000
- Bcc:
ghItlhpu' naHQun, ja':
>how would I say?:
>Is the targ behind the tree?
>or
>Is the targ at the river?
>For the first one, I think it would be:
>Sor 'em'a' targh?
Every sentence in Klingon must have a verb (or a pronoun-as-verb), and you
can't use a verb suffix on {'em}, which is a noun. What you've written here
doesn't make a whole lot of sense, particularly since {-'a'} is also a noun
suffix: this would translate to a Klingon as "the targ of the great expanse
behind the tree" or something of the sort.
(Actually, while it's not canon, something like this could be used to
translate "The targ (which is) behind the tree": {Sor 'em targh} "the targ
of the area behind the tree". End speculation.)
>but the second sentence doesn't have a verb,
>so I don't know how to make it a question
As above, every sentence in Klingon must have a verb, or it won't make
sense.
>I'm assuming I would need to reword the Klingon
>into two sentences, but I don't know what I would reword it to.
Not necessarily. There is a variety of ways you can do this. First off,
"behind the tree" would be {Sor 'emDaq}. This can easily be replaced with
{bIQtIqDaq} "at/in/on the river" or {bIQtIq DopDaq} "at the side of the
river".
Next, the idea of location, or being at a place, is commonly translated in
one of two ways:
(1): {tu'lu'} "one finds", as on the BoP poster: {cha' choQmey naQ tu'lu'}
"there are two full decks" - literally, "one finds two full decks".
(Actually, in the BoP sentence it should technically be {lutu'lu'}, but
let's not open that tin of worms.)
(2): Pronoun-as-verb plus {-taH}, as in KGT, p.24: {bIghHa'Daq ghaHtaH
qama''e'} "the prisoner is in the jail".
So, to say "the targ is behind the tree", you could say either {Sor 'emDaq
targh tu'lu'} or {Sor 'emDaq 'oHtaH targh'e'}.
To make either of these a yes-no question, just add the type 9 verb suffix
{-'a'}: {Sor 'emDaq targh tu'lu''a'} or {Sor 'emDaq 'oHtaH'a' targh'e'} "is
the targ behind the tree?"
You could also make it a leading question (one that expects a certain
answer) by using the tag question {qar'a'} instead (KGT p.34): {Sor 'emDaq
targh tu'lu' qar'a'} "The targ is behind the tree, right?"
Savan,
QeS la'
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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