tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Nov 07 12:29:37 2007
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Re: vIghro'vetlh
- From: McArdle <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: vIghro'vetlh
- Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2007 12:28:04 -0800 (PST)
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- In-reply-to: <[email protected]>
--- Steven Boozer <[email protected]> wrote:
> mI'qey:
> >"vay' Dalajqang pagh Dalajqangbe' 'e' vIloy 'e'
> vInIDDI', Qatlhqu' 'e' vItu'."
> >
> >points of grammar:
> >1) is it valid to use a verb with zero prefix for
> an impersonal
> >construction such as "it is very difficult"
> >(= *{Qatlhqu'})? I don't remember whether TKD
> addresses this kind of
> >usage or not.
>
> I don't believe it's covered in TKD, but we have an
> example of this very
> verb so used from ST5:
>
> Vixis: {tlha'a HoD, DoS wIpuStaH. nejwI' tIQ
> 'oH.}
> Captain Klaa, we have a target in sight. A
> probe of ancient origin.
>
> Klaa: {qIpmeH Qatlh'a'?}
> Difficult to hit?
>
> Vixis: {Qatlhqu'.}
> Most difficult.
>
> Klaa: {maj. vISeHmeH Hoch nuHmey Qay!}
> Good. All weapons to my control. Scope!
>
I think this is a *tiny* bit different from my
example. As I read it, the subject of {Qatlh} and
{Qatlhqu'} in this exchange is either {nejwI'} or
{DoS} (I interpret the English translation the same
way; as shorthand for "is the ship/the target
difficult to hit?").
The example I was trying to translate doesn't offer
such a clear candidate for the subject of {Qatlhqu'}.
In fact, what's {Qatlh} in this case is really the
whole sentence whose main verb is {vIloy}. In English
we would say "It is very difficult to guess ...",
where the true semantic subject is "to guess ..." and
"it" is only a dummy.
Perhaps it's possible to consider the subject of
{Qatlhqu'} to be some unexpressed noun (such as, say,
{mIw} or {Qu'}) that refers to the process/task of
guessing. If you assume something like this, then
perhaps the ST5 example does provide a precedent.
qatlho'
-- mI'qey
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