[Tlhingan-hol] EuroTalk - New info - Phrases

Felix Malmenbeck felixm at kth.se
Sun Oct 30 05:19:05 PDT 2011


Yesterday, the country names from EuroTalk's "Talk Now! Learn Klingon" were revealed to this list.
Now, since it's officially October 30th (or 31st) in every time zone on Earth (I think, I shall post those phrases from the "Phrases" part which I think reveal information that will be relevant to all jatlhwI'pu'.
I personally figure that it's unnecessary to post ALL of the sentences, but if you feel I've left anything important out, please post it.

==mu' chu'==

Qal - swim (verb)
naDev jIQal vIneH - Qobbe''a' bIQ - Is it safe to swim here?

==New syntax==

QAO possible to some extent:
nuq Datlhutlh DaneH - What do you want to drink?
Further discussion of this topic below.

The object of vergh ("dock") is the ship that's docked.
nuqDaq puH Duj vIvergh - Where can I park the car?
[One might have expected nuqDaq vergh puH Duj net chaw', or nuqDaq puH Duj vIverghmoH.]

==New constructions==

ngevwI' = store/seller
nuqDaq ghaH ngevwI''e' = Where is the shop?
    Hergh ngevwI''e' = chemist (as in "drug store" or "apothecary")

tlhIch pur = to smoke
tlhIch vIpurbe' = I don't smoke.

puH Duj = car
nuqDaq puH Duj vIngIp

ticket = chaw'
nuqDaq chaw' vIje' = Where can I buy a ticket?

lupwI' mIr = train
nuqDaq lupwI' mIr vItIj = Where is the train station?

ra'wI' lupwI' = taxi
nuqDaq ra'wI' lupwI' vItIj

bIQ'a' HeH = beach
nuqDaq 'oH bIQ'a' HeH'e' = Where is the beach?

ghogh HablI' mI' yIper = What is the telephone number?

chach Duj = ambulance
chach Duj yIrI' = Get an ambulance!

leng chaw' = passport
leng chaw'wIj nIHlu'ta' = Someone stole my passport

==More on QAO==

The question of using questions as objects has been a hot topic for a long time.
First people wondered if one could have a dialogue like:

HoD: jagh Duj wIQaw'pu''a'?
yaS: 'e' jatlh baHwI'
DeghwI': ghobe', jup Duj wIQaw'!
HoD: net neHbe'!

[Dialogue taken from "The Grammarian's Desk" (page 44) by Captain Krankor. - http://amzn.com/0964434539 ]

In an e-mail from 1998 ( http://klingonska.org/canon/search/?file=1998-05-28-email.txt&get=source ), DloraH decribed an exchange with Marc Okrand:<http://klingonska.org/canon/search/?file=1998-05-28-email.txt&get=source>

"The first one I nailed him with was our lovely QAO. Uh-oh. You can not
use a "question" as an object; but... it is not known yet if Klingon
question words can act as one of those relative things, uh, relative
pronoun is it? You guys know what I'm refering to. So basicly we didn't
really get anywhere with this one yet. The safest thing for now would be
to recast if possible."

This seemed to rule the above alternative out, and there's since been no indication that one can use words like nuq and 'Iv as relative pronouns, and MO seems to prefer constructions involving -bogh and ngu' (such as <jar DamaSqu'bogh yIngu'>, <nuH DaneHbogh yIngu'> and <Daq DaDabbogh yIngu'>).

However, there's been one other option up for consideration:
Can you use a question as an object if the resulting two-sentence construction remains a question? For example, can we ask:
yan 'ISletlh muv 'Iv DaneH Qang. - Chancellor, who do you want for the Yan-Isleth?
nuq vIjatlh DaneH. - What do you want me to say?
Qang HoHta' 'Iv 'e' Dalegh. - Who did you see kill the Chancellor?

Well, with this new canonical sentence - nuq Datlhutlh DaneH - it appears that this ancient question has been answered:
YES WE CAN!


==Shameless plug==
Video I made about nuq: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBo8ucRu84Y




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