[805] in tlhIngan-Hol
Instrumental constructions
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)
Tue May 11 08:37:58 1993
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Reply-To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@village.boston.ma.us>
From: erich@bush.cs.tamu.edu (Erich Schneider)
To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@village.boston.ma.us>
Date: Mon, 10 May 93 23:26:11 CDT
My thinking has flip-flopped about the use of "-mo'" to indicate an
instrumental case. I now believe it definitely cannot. For one, the
only real example I know of which has been used to imply it can be
used in this way is:
SuSmo' joqtaH "Because of the breeze, it flutters."
"It is fluttering in the breeze."
This is not an instrumental construction. The "-mo'" construction is
indicating WHY something is occurring, not HOW it occurs.
Fortunately, I think the following is a good solution. If an
instrumental construction (roughly "X does Y with Z") is needed,
prepend to the subject the relative clause "Z lo'bogh", "which uses
Z". For example:
lagh Hupta' QIghpejDaj lo'bogh HungpIn.
"The security chief, who uses his agonizer, punished the ensign."
"The security chief punished the ensign with his agonizer."
One will have to use a pronoun if there is no explicitly stated
subject but one wants to use this construction. Thus:
qarDaS'Ingan DaHoHta' pu'HIch lo'bogh SoH'e'.
"*You*, who uses a phaser, killed the Cardassian."
"*You* killed the Cardassian with a phaser."
HoD! DIvI' Duj vIlegh nochmey lo'bogh jIH.
"Captain! I, who uses the sensors, see the Federation ship."
"Captain! I have the Federation ship on sensors."
jangghachHommey?
-QumpIn 'avrIn
