tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Jan 06 09:46:17 2010

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Re: qoSwIj

Mark J. Reed ([email protected]) [KLI Member] 

But in each case, regardless of the tangibility or concreteness of the
antecedent noun, there is one: something you can identify as the noun
that 'it' is standing for.  In a sentence like "Today, it is my
birthday", there is not really a noun that fits where the "it" is.
"Today, the day is my birthday"?  "Today, the date is my birthday"?

Instead, the "it" is just a place holder, because "Today, my birthday
is." doesn't work as an English sentence (unless it's  Yoda-speak for
"My birthday is today." - but there, "today" is a noun instead of an
adverb).

-marqoS

On Wed, Jan 6, 2010 at 12:04 PM, Steven Boozer <[email protected]> wrote:
> Mark J. Reed:
>>> I would tend to question the translation {DaHjaj qoSwIj 'oH}. Â"Today
>>> it is my birthday" is fine in English, but it's one of those weird
>>> idiomatic uses of "it" that lacks an antecedent (like "It's hot out",
>>> "It's seven o'clock"). ÂDo we have evidence that Klingon does
>>> something similar?
>
> {'oH} almost always refers to an actual, tangible object but I did find four exceptions:
>
> an abstract idea (revenge, honor):
>
> ÂbortaS nIvqu' 'oH bortaS'e'
> ÂRevenge is the best revenge. (TKW)
>
> ÂSajlIj 'oHbe' quvwIj'e'
> ÂMy honor is not your play-thing.
> Â(lit. "My honor is not your pet.") (STConst p.259)
>
> an intangible place (space):
>
> ÂveH Qav 'oH logh'e'
> Âspace--the final frontier (S99)
>
> and a geometric figure (i.e. the shape, not the thing it's drawn on):
>
> ÂmeyrI'Daq 'oHtaH gho'e'
> ÂThe circle is in the square. (qep'a' 2005)
>
> While the last two might be considered virtual/imaginary objects or places, the first two can't be (however important the concepts are to Klingons).
>
>
> --
> Voragh
> Canon Master of the Klingons
>
>
>
>
>



-- 
Mark J. Reed <[email protected]>

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