[Tlhingan-hol] Klingon Word of the Day: jaw

[David Trimboli]

On 11/3/2011 11:10 AM, Felix Malmenbeck wrote:
> The classic formula is something like: mujang, jatlh, jIH HInob.

Don't think of it as a formula. You're saying two things that are 
closely related.

mujangpu'; jatlh "jIHvaD yInob."
He answered me and said, "Give it to me."

Answering and speaking are two distinct actions. This is colloquially 
translated as "He answered, 'Give it to me.'"

But "he" could *do* anything, not just "answer." There's no reason to 
stick to verbs describing speech, except that one might be translating 
from English a little too closely.

mupupta'; jatlh "jIHvaD yInob."
He kicked me; he said, "Give it to me."
He kicked me and said, "Give it to me."
He kicked me. "Give it to me."

> However, both tlhob and jang are actually used this way in Power Klingon.

Yes, Power Klingon came out before Okrand's explanation of verbs of 
saying, and does not agree with it. Both instances appear in the jokes, 
so it's possible, though unexplained, that the jokes have some kind of 
fixed grammar that hasn't been updated to "current" ta' Hol. (They are, 
after all, appreciated by Klingons in the same way songs are.)

-- 
SuStel
http://www.trimboli.name/