[3584] in tlhIngan-Hol
more on them screwy adjectivals
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)
Fri Mar 4 18:39:16 1994
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From: dls9@aol.com
To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@klingon.East.Sun.COM>
Date: Fri, 04 Mar 94 17:44:57 EST
While actively thinking about Klingon adjectivals and passively reading some
English text, I came across the word "learned," in the usage "learned men."
This sparked a chain reaction of neuronic impulses in my brain and I received
a grammatical revelation.
I immediately thought of myself as a Klingon studying English that had just
come across "learned" used as an adjective. And I thought, {Hu'tegh!- qaS nuq
jay'?!} because "learned" looks very much like a passive participle, and if
that's the case, then "learned men" are men whom someone learns, the subject
of some indefinite person's study. But the actual meaning is "well-taught
men."
Then my mind ripped back across to the other side of the Language Barrier
(HolveH) and I remembered that canonical {De' pegh} construction that was
posted a number of days ago on the list. So, it seems that languages, both
Terran and otherwise, are not always completely logical. Now I know this must
come as a great shock to you all {{:-), but it's something we have to deal
with. I would venture to assume that these irregular adjectivals are *very*
common in Hol and we simply must make do with our good judgment where we lack
canonical evidence.
Guido#1, Leader of All Guidos
