tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Dec 19 16:54:34 2007

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Re: jIHtaHbogh naDev vISovbe'

David Trimboli ([email protected]) [KLI Member] [Hol po'wI']



Alan Anderson wrote:
> ja' SuStel:
> 
>> The predicative in a Klingon "to be" sentence isn't complementing the
>> topic, it's complementing the copula. This is why I didn't call the
>> topic of a copula a "subject" instead.
> 
> Your take on "to be" seems quite different from how TKD describes  
> it.  Okrand does label the thing doing the "being" as the subject.

But it exactly matches how it appears throughout canon.

>> I'm applying the word "predicative" to Klingon grammar, not  
>> English, and
>> I'm defining it slightly differently than it is defined in English, so
>> don't get too caught up in its English definition.
> 
> Fine, I'll try to treat your use of the term the same way I treat  
> TKD's use of "perfective" and "adverbial", and not pay attention to  
> any baggage it carries from its otherwise established usage.

It's no different than recognizing that Okrand's descriptions of 
pronunciation aren't up to IPA standards, or that when he says "topic" 
he goes and demonstrates "emphasis." His language is is no way 
linguistically rigorous in TKD.

I could call these things voobles and kronstints, but that wouldn't aid 
anyone's understanding of the structure. As it is, I'm trying to choose 
terms that approximately equate to the English form.

SuStel
Stardate 7967.2

-- 
Practice the Klingon language on the tlhIngan Hol MUSH.
http://trimboli.name/klingon/mush.html





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