[173] in tlhIngan-Hol
to be or not to be
dcctdw@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (dcctdw@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)
Sun Feb 16 19:18:55 1992
Errors-To: tlhIngan-Hol-request@village.boston.ma.us
Reply-To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@village.boston.ma.us>
From: mosquito@Athena.MIT.EDU
To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@village.boston.ma.us>
Date: Fri, 31 Jan 92 23:54:19 -0500
I heard it "taH pagh taHbe'".
It uses the verb suffix -taH (continuous aspect) for "to be".
There has been a little controversy on this list recently as to whether this
is a legal thing to use in Klingon, in general. It certainly should not
be used for constructions already described in the dictionary, i.e.
"The child is in the room" or "We are Klingons". One might argue that
in the Klingon mindset, no one would say it that way, and one might say
"to live or not to live" or something like that. On the other hand,
"taH pagh taHbe'" is from the hand of Okrand, so one might argue that THAT
is definitive. On the other hand, "taH" may not actually mean "to be", but
rather "to continue in the present state" or something like that.
A few alternate translations that avoid "to be" have been suggested,
but the fact remains that now, in canon, is a word which they
translate "to be". What we, in practice, ought to use, and when, is
still under discussion.
I think that summarizes the various viewpoints on the list. If I left
someone out, jump on me.
\ /
--OO--
!! mosquito@athena.mit.edu
Kevin Iga
