tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Nov 24 10:45:05 2009

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Re: Comparatives

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



Tracy Canfield wrote:
> For comparatives, TKD uses the construction
> 
> A Q law' B Q puS
> 
> In all the examples, A and B are nouns.  If you're comparing, for
> example, "we" and "you", do you have to include the pronouns, or is it
> okay to just use prefixes on the verbs?
> 
> Can you say
> 
> maDo' law' SuDo' puS
> 
> or does it have to be
> 
> maH maDo' law' tlIH SuDo' puS
> 
> or even
> 
> maH Do' law' tlIH Do' puS
> 
> without agreement between Do' and what would otherwise be its subject?

The "A Q" and "B Q" parts are not clauses. Only your last example is 
correct: {maH Do' law' tlhIH Do' puS} "we are more fortunate than you." 
A and B must be noun phrases; Q must be a verb of quality without prefix 
or suffixes. These elements are not related to each other beyond being 
part of the comparative sentence.

The comparative/superlative construction is rather fixed in structure, 
although some allowed variations are given in KGT. These variations 
don't change the structure of the construction, only the words and order 
used.

Note that when I say "must" above, I mean that out of all of the 
examples, and there are quite a few, none have ever done otherwise 
(except one example in TKW, from ST6, which is noted as being special 
grammar left over from an older version of Klingon).

The example I know of offhand with a pronoun in a comparison (actually a 
superlative) is

    qIbDaq SuvwI''e' SoH Dun law' Hoch Dun puS.
    You would be the greatest warrior in the galaxy. (ST5)

-- 
SuStel
tlhIngan Hol MUSH
http://trimboli.name/mush






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