[83974] in tlhIngan-Hol
Re: Missing question words
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (David Trimboli)
Mon Jan 14 19:54:01 2008
Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2008 19:50:42 -0500
From: David Trimboli <david@trimboli.name>
In-reply-to: <962DC89C-C40F-4FEB-B2C5-B06E1C376C9C@embarqmail.com>
To: tlhingan-hol@kli.org
Errors-to: tlhingan-hol-bounce@kli.org
Reply-to: tlhingan-hol@kli.org
Doq wrote:
> One little stinging morsel... I thought I had a clear understanding
> about {-Daq} vs. {-vo'}, but the canon you offer includes:
>
> naDevvo' jIleghlaHchu'be'.
> "I can't see well from here."
>
> I would have expected her to say {naDev jIleghlaHchu'be'.} There is no
> motion implied. Since the prefix is {jI-}, clearly, {naDev} is
> locative and not direct object, so I would have expected it to set the
> location one is in while one can imperfectly see. But she used {-vo'}
> as if to be clear about which way she was looking. It would be
> unfortunate if {-vo'} winds up simply mapping as equivalent the
> English word "from" with the Klingon {-vo'}. Any time you say "from"
> in English, you use {-vo'} in Klingon?
According to TKD (p. 28):
-vo' from
This suffix is similar to -Daq but is used only when action is in a
direction away from the noun suffixed with -vo'.
It doesn't say there has to be motion involved. Seeing "from here" is
certainly an action heading away from here.
No, -vo' isn't in danger of having a one-to-one correspondence with
English "from." We wouldn't use it for, say, "I visited you from one
o'clock to three o'clock today."
I see a slight difference in meaning between {naDevvo' jIleghlaHchu'be'}
and {naDev jIleghlaHchu'be'}. The latter means "In this location, I
cannot see well." This would include, say, difficulty in reading one's
wristwatch. The former would, on the other hand, only apply to seeing
AWAY from one's location. I can see my wristwatch just fine, but I can't
see outside the jitney I'm in.
SuStel
Stardate 8038.4
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