[86707] in tlhIngan-Hol
Re: intuition and grammar (was Re: Ditransitive reflexives)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (clpachucki@comcast.net)
Wed Oct 28 13:45:12 2009
Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:41:48 +0000 (UTC)
From: clpachucki@comcast.net
To: tlhingan-hol@kli.org
In-Reply-To: <3FD7DBAC-D0DE-4085-93F9-DF3182F7F788@alcaco.net>
Errors-to: tlhingan-hol-bounce@kli.org
Reply-to: tlhingan-hol@kli.org
If speakers are allowed to add their own grammar into the language, doesn't that defeat the purpose of speaking the native language of the Klingons? I don't know if I should be saying anything considering my n00b status but I just couldn't help but seeing that. I know that in any other language grammar is set in stone and never changed.
Just my two cents
----- Original Message -----
From: "ghunchu'wI'" <qunchuy@alcaco.net>
To: tlhingan-hol@kli.org
Sent: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 7:56:26 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: intuition and grammar (was Re: Ditransitive reflexives)
On Oct 28, 2009, at 3:48 AM, eric mead wrote:
> And that actually brings me to my larger question. What happens in
> the culture of tlhIngan Hol if there is found an area of the
> grammar that seems problematic and/or just missing and the fluent
> speakers have an intuition (generally agreed upon) about it?? Does
> that become another resource? Or are speakers not 'allowed' to add
> their own intuitions to the grammar?
Speakers can use whatever intuition or pet theories or personal
preferences they want. However, nobody here has the authority to add
anything to the grammar. If what someone says makes sense, others
are free to adopt its use as well. If it isn't in conflict with the
officially published rules of the language, it might even become
widely popular. Even so, there will usually be some who are more
conservative and resist trendy things until and unless they are
sanctioned by Marc Okrand.
The basic goal is for someone to be able to learn Klingon well using
only the published books as a resource. Where there's a hole in the
grammar (e.g. subjunctive), the basic advice is to avoid it, not to
fill it.
-- ghunchu'wI'
