[Tlhingan-hol] Negative polarity questions in Klingon

[Steven Boozer]

I can find only one example of a "negative polarity question" in canon:

cheqotlhchugh maHaghbe''a'? cheDuQchugh mareghbe''a'? cheQIHchugh manoDbe''a'? 
Tickle us, do we not laugh? Prick us, do we not bleed? Wrong us, shall we not seek revenge? TKW


It's a rhetorical question, but the expected answer is {maHagh. maregh. manoD.}  Now whether a Klingon would preface that with {HIja'} or {ghobe'} I'm not sure.


--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons


> -----Original Message-----
DloraH:
> (Even though we speak English) I constantly get my wife with this
> situation.  She will answer with a
> simple yes or no, and then I have to ask, yes - in agreement with that
> negative statement, or yes -
> as in correcting the statement, saying the action does happen.
> When I answer those type of questions from other people, I include
> more detail.  Yes, that statement
> is correct.
> 
> "Correct, the targ does not bite."
> 
> (Yes, I do talk like that.)


> > -----Original Message-----
Philip:
> > When asking a positive polarity yes-no question, the
> > responses are pretty easy to understand.
> >
> > For example, if someone's pet targ approaches you and you're
> > a bit scared, you might ask, {chop'a'} "Does it bite?"
> >
> > Then an answere of {HIja'} would mean "Yes (= it bites)",
> > while {ghobe'} would mean "No (= it doesn't bite)".
> >
> > However, I'm not sure what the situation is with negative
> > polarity yes-no questions.
> >
> > For example, imagine that someone comes up to you with his
> > pet targ and says, {taghwIj yIyach} "Pet my targ!". You,
> > being a bit suspicious, ask, {chopbe''a'} "Doesn't it bite?"
> >
> > Now what does, say, {HIja'} mean? "Yes, it doesn't bite" or
> > "Yes, it does bite"?
> >