tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Jun 10 13:15:55 2009
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RE: Spanish joke
Voragh wrote:
>> -Waiter, I've found a hair in my soup and it's not mine.
>> -Give it to me. We'll keep it in case someone comes to claim it.
>>
>> -jabwI', chatlhDaq jIb vItu'pu' 'ej jIbwIj 'oHbe'.
>> -jIb HInob; wIpol. poQmeH chaq jaHchugh vay'.
>>
>> The waiter's response is giving me pause. The last bit "we'll keep
>> it in case someone comes to claim it" is a problem. Can I connect
>> the three verbs in one Klingon sentence? Also, I'm not sure of the
>> placement of {chaq}:
>>
>> poQmeH chaq jaHchugh vay'.
>> "Perhaps someone will come (in order) to demand it."
>>
>> chaq poQmeH jaHchugh vay'.
>> "Perhaps (in order) to demand it, someone will come."
>>
>> Which feels more natural in Klingon? Logically, {chaq} could refer
>> to either verb - "perhaps someone will come" vs. "perhaps someone
>> will demand it" - or even both verbs.
SuStel:
>Perhaps the problem you're having is that there is no main verb in the
>sentence. I'd say it more directly this way:
>
> vItlhap. poQchugh vay', wInob.
>
>I don't see that "coming" is an essential part of the sentence.
That's another good translation and certainly one way to avoid the problem. But now I'm really curious about the placement of adverbials WRT purpose clauses. I could find only one example:
motlh ray' luSamlaHmeH De' Qatlh cha' tlhIngan Duj jIH'a'
The main viewer on a Klingon ship is usually overlaid
with a complex target acquisition grid. (SP3)
where the adverbial comes at the very beginning, applying itself to the entire sentence. That's where I initially placed {chaq}, but then (as usual) I started to over-think it and wound up confusing myself.
--
Voragh
Canon Master of the Klingons