[2743] in tlhIngan-Hol
Re: po puv bortaS! (translation)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)
Mon Jan 24 15:00:36 1994
Reply-To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@klingon.East.Sun.COM>
From: Will Martin <whm2m@uva.pcmail.virginia.edu>
To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@klingon.East.Sun.COM>
Date: Mon, 24 Jan 94 14:48:30 EST
On Jan 24, 1:57pm, Mark E. Shoulson wrote:
> Subject: po puv bortaS! (translation)
[Okay, this thread has too many layers to include the usual delimited
quotations. ~mark addresses my point about using bare time-nouns, like {po}
or {DaHjaj}, adverbially vs. the {qasDI' po} construction.]
Thank you, ~mark. I think I'm achieving a new clarity on this point. As
I see it, what we are talking about is the difference between a time stamp
(like {DaH, DaHjaj, po, wa'leS}, etc.), where it is ALWAYS better to just use
the bare noun, and a DURATION reference, where it is ALWAYS better to use the
{qaStaHvIS X} construction (where X represents a time duration, like {loS
jaj}).
In English, we are talking about the difference between, "It rained four
days ago," and "It rained for four days." The latter case needs {qaStaHvIS}.
The former case does not. I don't mean that the former case does not REQUIRE
{qaStaHvIS}. I mean that the latter does not ALLOW {qaStaHvIS}.
Examples of the difference:
[I sleep at night.] = {ram jIQong}.
[I sleep all night.] = {qaStaHvIS ram jIQong}
Does this sound accurate? Am I grokking this? Where is my error, if
there is one?
Hmmmm. Or how about:
[I sleep as soon as night falls] = {qaSDI' ram jIQong}
The significant thing here is that the time stamp is focussed on the
beginning edge of the time duration known as "night".
-- charghwI'
