tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Nov 19 07:27:25 2009
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RE: Yet another newbie!
Tracy Canfield:
>>>> Since -Hom isn't merely "small", but "minor", perhaps "fine
>>>> print" could be handled as mu'HomHey "apparently minor words".
Voragh:
>>> Fine print isn't necessarily {-Hom} "minor". In fact, it's often
>>> more important than the regular print! That's the very reason
>>> people use fine print, after all.
Tracy:
>> Hence the -Hey ...
SuStel:
>Except for {-qu'} and {-be'}, suffixes don't apply to each other.
>{-HomHey} doesn't become "apparently minor"; it means "apparent, minor
>(something)."
It is a fine distinction, one that I've tripped over too. Okrand on {-Hey} "apparent":
TKD 24: Suffixes of this type indicate the speaker's attitude toward the noun, or how sure the speaker is that the noun is being used appropriately... This suffix indicates that the speaker is pretty sure the object referred to by the noun is accurately described by the noun, but has some doubts."
PK: A "qualifying suffix" meaning "apparent (though not yet proven)".
Notice that {-Hey} is the counterpart of {-na'} "definite":
TKD 24f.: For example, if the scanner on a Klingon ship senses an object, and the officer reporting the presence of this object assumes, but is not yet sure, that the object is a vessel, he will probably refer to the object as {DujHey} "an apparent vessel", rather than simply {Duj} "vessel" ... Once the Klingon officer referred to above is sure that the object the scanner has found is a vessel, he might report the presence of {Dujna'} "a definite vessel, undoubtedly a vessel".
Examples:
QaghHommeyHeylIjmo'
due to your apparent minor errors (TKD)
HoSHey
apparent (though not yet proven) strength. PK
If you want to translate the adverb "apparently", use {-law'} ("it seems (to be), apparently, seemingly ") on the VERB of the sentence. E.g.:
KGT 147: Similarly, if the information is considered only partially good, or only the forerunner of good news to come, one might use the suffix {-law'} (apparently): {buy'law' ngop} ("That seems to be good news"; literally, "The plates are apparently full").
pImlaw' romuluSngan be' porgh
I've heard Romulan women are different. (ST5 notes)
N.B. {pImlaw' porgh} "The body is apparently different. Apparently the body is different." vs. {pIm porghHey} "The apparent (supposed? alleged?) body is different."
>> Since verbs used adjectivally can't take suffixes other than -qu,
>
>Actually, they can. That rule is stated in TKD, but since then we've
>seen adjectival verbs with {-Ha'} and {-be'} as well.
Notice that all three of these suffixes are Rovers.
TKD 4.3: Rovers are verb suffixes which... can come just about anywhere except following a Type 9 suffix.
TKD p.47f.: It is interesting that {-Ha'} always occurs right after the verb. It is not known why Klingon grammarians insist on calling it a Rover. It was felt best not to argue with Klingon tradition, however, so {-Ha'} is here classified as a Rover.
st.k 11/97: Since the negative suffixes are Rovers, they follow different rules. (Well, actually, since {-Ha'} always occurs right after the verb and can never be preceded by suffixes anyway, it can be excluded from this discussion.)
--
Voragh
Canon Master of the Klingons