[86967] in tlhIngan-Hol
Re: Use of -'e' (was Re: The topic marker -'e')
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Terrence Donnelly)
Mon Nov 23 10:46:17 2009
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:44:48 -0800 (PST)
From: Terrence Donnelly <terrence.donnelly@sbcglobal.net>
To: tlhingan-hol@kli.org
In-Reply-To: <f1d476f10911230730l182e92deu7c38523d17e8a9eb@mail.gmail.com>
Errors-to: tlhingan-hol-bounce@kli.org
Reply-to: tlhingan-hol@kli.org
--- On Mon, 11/23/09, ghunchu'wI' 'utlh <qunchuy@alcaco.net> wrote:
> Terrence Donnelly
> <terrence.donnelly@sbcglobal.net>
> wrote:
> > Not to open a perhaps stale can of worms, but I didn't
> think you could use {-e'}, or any other Type 5 noun suffix,
> on a subject. I know TKD's definition of {-'e'} sort of
> conflates the notions of topic and focus, but do we have any
> canon examples of subjects with {-'e'}?
>
> Tracy provided one yesterday.
>
> The Klingon Way page 123:
> {reH Hegh yoHwI'pu''e'} "Always it is the brave ones who
> die."
> I believe this was spoken by Kor in "Errand of Mercy".
>
OK; assuming this isn't some sort of special gnomic grammar, I guess it is allowed.
> TKD also gives the (somewhat erroneous) example {lujpu'
> jIH'e'} "I
> (and only I) have failed."
>
> This is all before bringing in the many "to be" sentences
> which *all*
> have {-'e'} on the subject (barring dialectical
> variations).
>
I don't think it's proper to speak of "subject" or "object" with equational sentences, since they're not really verbal. I've always thought of the right-hand term as a sort of focus: {HoD ghaH yaS'e'} = 'He is the captain, that officer'.
-- ter'eS
