[95600] in tlhIngan-Hol
Re: [Tlhingan-hol] "where are you from?"
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (David Trimboli)
Mon Jan 21 20:09:02 2013
Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2013 20:08:36 -0500
From: David Trimboli <david@trimboli.name>
To: tlhingan-hol@stodi.digitalkingdom.org
In-Reply-To: <SNT123-W276FE4585CDA7531AE7792A4170@phx.gbl>
Errors-To: tlhingan-hol-bounces@stodi.digitalkingdom.org
On 1/21/2013 1:57 PM, David Holt wrote:
> From: qeslagh@hotmail.com <mailto:qeslagh@hotmail.com>
> > jang DloraH, jatlh:
> >> mebpa'meylIj yIngu'.
>
> > *tI*ngu'. Though I think the singular might be preferable here
> (mebpa'lIj yIngu'),
> > since it's rare for one person to occupy more than one guest room.
>
> > QeS
> I would like to remind you that <mebpa'mey> was defined as "hotel" in
> KGT. Saying <mebpa'meylIj tIngu'> makes it sound like I think you have
> more than one room. Saying <mebpa'lIj yIngu'> makes it sound like I
> want to know your room number. However, the entries in KGT make it look
> like <mebpa'meylIj yIngu'> means "Identify your hotel". Though
> personally I would prefer <mebpa'lIj qach yIngu'>.
mebpa'mey
hotel
The word {mebpa'mey} refers to multiple guest rooms, and it also refers
to the building that contains multiple guest rooms. It is a plural word.
"Hotel" is simply a translation into English, and the grammar of the
translation does not equal the grammar of the original. You cannot say
{mebpa'meylIj yIngu'}; you must say {mebpa'meylIj tIngu'}.
The Klingon word does not distinguish between your having multiple rooms
and having one hotel. It's just one of those ambiguities you have to
live with. If you want to be clear that you're talking about a hotel and
not a random set of rooms, you could say {mebpa'mey qach}, but that
would be rather like saying "hamburger sandwich" (a phrase my co-workers
think is extremely funny).
--
SuStel
http://www.trimboli.name/
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