[87035] in tlhIngan-Hol
RE: Comparatives
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Steven Boozer)
Tue Nov 24 14:49:08 2009
From: Steven Boozer <sboozer@uchicago.edu>
To: "'tlhingan-hol@kli.org'" <tlhingan-hol@kli.org>
Date: Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:46:53 -0600
In-Reply-To: <f1d476f10911241125p15765fbbq2c46ae3fca431a7b@mail.gmail.com>
Errors-to: tlhingan-hol-bounce@kli.org
Reply-to: tlhingan-hol@kli.org
Christopher Doty:
>> Wait, then how do you do other aspects, e.g.,
>> "We used to be more fortunate than you, but aren't anymore"??
ghunchu'wI':
>The comparative/superlative construction is very rigid. It doesn't
>carry aspect, qualification, honorifics, or basically anything else
>that would go on the verb of a regular sentence. The *only* verb
>suffix explicitly permitted is {-be'}.
>
>For your particular example, I would make it more specific and
>substitute time for aspect.
>cha' wen maH Do' law' tlhIH Do' puS. DaHjaj maH Do'be' law' tlhIH Do'be'
>puS.}
Except for the variations provided in my previous post, the way to modify a law'/puS formula is to preface it with an introductory clause, place- or time-stamp (as ghunchu'wI' did) which I've marked with angle brackets:
<jonlu'meH> wo'maj pop tIn law' Hoch tIn puS
Our Empire's highest bounty has been placed on his head. (ST5 notes)
<reH latlh qabDaq> qul tuj law' Hoch tuj puS
The fire is always hotter on someone else's face. PK
<qIbDaq SuvwI''e'> SoH Dun law' Hoch Dun puS
You would be the greatest warrior in the galaxy. ST5
<tlhutlhmeH> HIq ngeb qaq law' bIQ qaq puS
Drinking fake ale is better than drinking water. TKW
<noH ghoblu'DI'> yay quv law' Hoch quv puS
In war there is nothing more honorable than victory. TKW
<tlhIngan wo' yuQmey chovlu'chugh> Qo'noS potlh law' Hoch potlh puS
The principal planet of the Klingon Empire, Qo'noS... S27
Also notice BTW that the things compared (the A and B elements of {A Q law' B Q puS}) can be noun phrases:
<targhlIj yab> tIn law' <no'lI' Hoch yabDu'> tIn puS
Your targ has a bigger brain than all your ancestors put together! PK
<QamvIS Hegh> qaq law' <torvIS yIn> qaq puS
Better to die on our feet than live on our knees. ST6/TKW
... even fairly complicated ones:
<DujvamDaq tlhIngan nuH tu'lu'bogh> pov law' Hoch pov puS 'ej <DujvamDaq 'op SuvwI' tu'lu'bogh> po' law' <tlhIngan yo' SuvwI' law'> po' puS
It [IKV Pagh] has the best weapons and some of the finest warriors in the Klingon fleet. S7
--
Voragh
Canon Master of the Klingons
