tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Dec 03 13:23:25 2009

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RE: need vs. obligation

Steven Boozer ([email protected]) 

[email protected] wrote:
>{wa'loSpa' vIrInnIS} "I need to finish it before tomorrow."

1. Spelling:  {wa'leS} "tomorrow"

2. {-pa'} "before" goes on verbs:

  choja'pa' 
  before you tell me TKD

  qara'pa' 
  before I command you TKD 

  jIjatlhpa' jatlh Hovmey 
  The stars will talk before I will. PK

  bItuHpa' bIHeghjaj 
  Death before shame. 
   ("May you die before you are shamed") PK 

  tujpa' qul pub SuvwI' 'Iw 
  A warrior's blood boils before the fire is hot. TKW

  Dajonlu'pa' bIHeghjaj 
  May you die before you are captured. TKW

  qanchoHpa' qoH, Hegh qoH 
  Fools die young. TKW 

  jagh HIvrup SuvwI' Haqpa' DIvI' qeSwI' 
  The warrior was prepared to attack the enemy until the Federation advisor intervened. KGT

  pel'aQDaj ghorpa' 
  before it breaks its shell 
  (IDIOM: "before it's too late, while there's still time") KGT

  pel'aQDaj ghorpa' qama' yIHoH 
  Before it breaks its shell, kill the prisoner.
   (i.e. "Kill the prisoner now, while you've got a chance.") KGT 

  tera' vatlh DIS poH cha'maH loS bIyIn jeSlaHpa' Hoch 
  Be the first to journey to the 24th century. STX 

  qab yon Da'agh. qablIj yon yI'aghHa' 'aghHa'pa' 'etlhwIj. 
  Scrape that smug look from your face before my blade does it for
   you. (STConst p.259)

3. {rIn} "be accomplished, be finished" is a quality.  To make it transitive, add [-moH}: {rInmoH} "finish, accomplish [something]".  However we have a better verb available {ta'} "accomplish, do":

  vIta'pu'be' 
  I didn't do it. TKD 

  Qu'Daj ta'taHvIS Hegh 'e' tul Hoch tlhIngan 
  To die in the line of duty is the hope of every Klingon. TKW 

  DaH nuq ta'pu' Day joH 
  What has Lady Di done now? RT 

  'oy'naQ DaQeqDI' mIw wa'DIch Data', 'ach 'oy'naQ Dachu'DI'
   mIw paghDIch Data' 
  When you aim the painstik, you accomplish the first step, but
   when you turn the painstik on, you accomplish the zeroth step. KGT

  'oy'naQ Dachu'Ha'DI' mIw HochDIch Data' 
  When you turn the painstik off, you accomplish the last step. KGT

So all together you need (!) to say something like:

  qaSpa' wa'leS Qu' vIta'nIS.
  Before tomorrow happens/occurs, I need to accomplish the task.

If you don't like {qaSpa' wa'leS} "before tomorrow happens/occurs" you could also just say {DaHjaj} "today:

  DaHjaj Qu' vIta'nIS.
  I need to accomplish the task today.

and since {DaHjaj} is a noun, you can mark it with the noun suffix {-'e'}:

  DaHjaj'e' Qu' vIta'nIS.
  I need to accomplish the task TODAY.
  As for today, I need to accomplish the task.

>{Qu'mo' wa'loSpa' vIrInnIS } "For honor's sake, I must finish it before
>tomorrow."

Qu'     duty, mission, task, chore
quv     (personal) honor
batlh   (general) Honor

I'm not sure of the placement:

  quvmo' qaSpa' wa'leS Qu' vIta'nIS.
  For honor's sake I need to accomplish the task before tomorrow occurs.

  qaSpa' wa'leS quvmo' Qu' vIta'nIS.
  I need to accomplish the task before tomorrow occurs for honor's sake.

{batlhmo'} would also work, depending on what type of honor you're talking about: i.e. Honor in general (with a capital H) or one's own personal honor/reputation.


>{wa'loSpa' vIrIn 'e' mura' Qu'e'} "Duty commands that I finish it before
>tomorrow" 

In a sentence as object, the pronoun {'e'} has to be the object of the verb.  Since {ra'} can only have one direct object, either drop the prefix {mu-} or the pronoun {'e'}:

  ... 'e' ra' Qu'
  duty commands that ...

  ... mura' Qu'
  duty commands me

>      (or, a less literally and more playfully: "I MUST finish it
>before tomorrow").

The best way to emphasize a verb is simply to use {-qu'} (emphatic):

  DaHjaj'e' Qu'vetlh vIta'nISqu' jay'!
  I really need to get that $%#@ task done TODAY!


 
-- 
Voragh                          
Canon Master of the Klingons

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