[Tlhingan-hol] paq'batlh: VERBS USED AS NOUNS
Agnieszka Solska
agnpau1 at hotmail.com
Sat Nov 26 14:09:47 PST 2011
Clear cases:
{tuj} – n. heat
Their anger so hot,
It could melt the rock
tujqu'choHmo' QeHchaj
nagh tetlaH tujvam
(pp 76-77)
{puj} – n. weakness
United to do battle together!
Against fear and against weakness!
SuvvIpghach puj je
HarghmeH yeq chaH
(pp 118-119)
{ghom} – n. assembly
SIqral bIQtIq ghom
Assembly at the River Skral
(pp 140-141, 202-203)
The word cannot be a verb because then the line would mean
"They meet the River Skral", which doesn't make sense in the
light of what happens in the book.
Unclear cases:
- {ngaS} – Contents (pp 200-201)
- {Dor} – The End (pp 44-45, 200-201)
- {tagh} – The Beginning (pp 48-49, 200-201)
- {wam} – The Hunt (pp 56-57, 200-201)
- {tuH} – Humilation (pp 58, 200-201)
- {tlha'} – The Pursuit (pp 72-73, 200-201)
- {veqlargh toj} – The Deceit of Fek'lhr (pp 96-97)
- {nargh} – The Escape (pp 106-107, 202-203)
- {SaqSubDaq chegh} – Return to the Saq'sub (pp 118-119, 202-203)
All of these are titles of specific cantos with the exception of {ngaS},
which can also be considered as a type of heading naming a section in a
book. The problem is that while some cantos bear the titles in which the doer
of the action is clearly specified, as in:
- {'omchoH chaH} – Forging the Resistance
- {Hay' chaH} – The Duel
- {ghe'tor 'el qeylIS} – Kahless enters Gre'thor
- {ghom gholpu'} – The Opponents meet
some cantos do not and the key word they contain could be interpreted as a noun or
as a verb.
I'd say the following should probably be interpreted as verbs:
- {Dor} – literally "(It/Something) ends";
after all there is a known noun meaning "end", i.e. {bertlham},
- {tagh} – literally "(It/Something) begins";
after all there is a known noun meaning "beginning", i.e. {bI'reS},
- {wam} –literally "(They) hunt";
after all there is a known noun meaning "hunt", i.e. {chon},
I am not so sure about the status of the key word in the remaining titles.
Assuming that the titles are inconsistent with respect to using explicit
subjects, the title {veqlargh toj} can be interpreted as "He (i.e. Kahless)
deceives Fek'rlh" or it could be interpreted as a two noun construction,
with {toj} functioning as the noun "deceit".
Other titles like that include:
- {ngaS} – "contents or "It (i.e. the book) contains,
- {tuH} – "humiliation" or "(He) is ashamed",
- {tlha'} – "pursuit" or "(They) pursue" or "(He) pursues (him)",
- {nargh} – "escape" or "(They) escape",
- {SaqSubDaq chegh} – "Return to the Saq'sub or "(They) return to the Saq'sub"
'ISqu'
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