tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Jun 02 10:27:42 2006
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Re: Questions in tlhIngan syntax (II) Double superlatives???
- From: [email protected]
- Subject: Re: Questions in tlhIngan syntax (II) Double superlatives???
- Date: Fri, 2 Jun 2006 13:27:23 EDT
In a message dated 6/2/2006 10:39:15 AM Central Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:
> >Could this possibly be an example of a tlhIngan "double superlative?"
>
> I've never heard of double superlatives. What is the difference between
> "boldest of all" and "most boldest of all"? To me both the English and
> Klingon sound ungrammatical or - for the descriptive linguists - uneducated.
>
> >Second, if this is grammatically correct, what is the semantic meaning of
> >it?
>
> AFAIK our only example of a suffix placed on {law'} in the comparative
> formula is:
>
> QuchlIj vIl law'be' QuchwIj vIl puSbe'
> your forehead isn't ridgier than my forehead (HQ 13.1:10)
>
> Note that {-be'} appears on *both* {law'} and {puS}. I imagine you would
> do the same with {-qu'}.
>
> The usual way to refine {law'/puS} comparisons is not to add suffixes but,
> as we've seen, to substitute different qualities for one or both
> terms.
In all of these examples, it's the {law'/puS} pair that is modified, not the
verb of quality, which is the same in each half of the construction.
I couldn't find any examples of the verb of quality having a suffix.
lay'tel SIvten