tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Dec 02 00:09:14 2007

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Re: Basic grammar question

Qang qu'wI' ([email protected])



On Nov 29, 2007 1:52 PM, Steven Boozer <[email protected]> wrote:
> If {maleng qorDu'wIj jIH je} gives you pause, you can always restate it by
> repeating the verb:
>
>   leng QorDu'wIj; jIleng jIH je
>   my family travelled; I travelled too
>
> This does not sound as redundant in Klingon as it does in English.  (We've
> seen this repeating of a verb or noun several times in Klingon where
> English would omit it.)  A more idiomatic rephrase would be to use {tlhej}
> "accompany":  I travelled with (accompanied by) my family.  Okrand has
> discussed how to translate "with" on the old startrek.klingon newsgroups:
>
>   From: Marc Okrand <...>
>   Newsgroups: startrek.klingon
>   Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1999
>   Subject: Re: ghew qab
>
>   Qermaq wrote:
>   >> Is there a way to say "with" in Klingon?  Such as, "He went with
> them."
>   >> Or does it have to be expressed like this (jaH chaH. jaH je ghaH.)?
>   >
>   > tlheD chaH. tlhej ghaH.
>
>   Qermaq's suggestion to use the verb tlhej "accompany" as a way to get
>   across the notion of "with" in the sentence meaning "he went with them"
>   is exactly right.
>
>   Its use is not restricted to the notion of going someplace ("accompany"
>   in the sense of "go with").  It is fine to say such things as {'Iw HIq
>   vItlhutlh. mutlhej ghaH.} "He/she drinks bloodwine with me," literally
>   "I drink bloodwine.  He/she accompanies me".
>
> and again in HolQeD 2.4:
>
>   In the sense of "accompanied by, with" is usually translated by a
>   phrase employing the verb {tlhej, "accompany"... Thus, "I drink
>   tea with Torg and Maltz" would be:  {Dargh vItlhutlhDI' mutlhej
>   torgh matlh je.} (Literally, "When I drink tea, Torg and Maltz
>   accompany me.") or {Dargh vItlhutlh. mutlhej torgh matlh je.}
>   ("I drink tea. Torg and Maltz accompany me.") or {Dargh vItlhutlh
>   'ej mutlhej torgh matlh je.} ("I drink tea, and Torg and Maltz
>   accompany me.")
>
> More examples:
>
>   tach vI'el, HItlhej
>   Let's go to the pub. RT
>
>   QotDI' gheD tlhejbe' wamwI'
>   The hunter does not lie down with the prey.
>
>   bIQongtaHvIS nItlhejchugh targhmey bIvemDI' nItlhej ghIlab ghewmey
>   If you sleep with targs, you'll wake up with glob flies. TKW
>
> So putting it all together:
>
>   My family and I travelled to the First City for Thanksgiving.
>
>   tlho'meH jaj lopmeH, veng wa'DIch leng qorDu'wIj; vItlhej jIH.
>   "My family travelled to the First City for Thanksgiving; I accompanied
> them."
>
>   tlho'meH jaj vIlopmeH, veng wa'DIch vIleng; mutlhej qorDu'wIj.
>   "I travelled to the First City for Thanksgiving; my family accompanied
> me."
>
>
This is great.  qatlho'!


-- 
Qang qu'wI'






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