[Tlhingan-hol] 'e' as topic (was Re: Time and Type 7 verb suffixes‏)

[Rohan Fenwick - QeS 'utlh]

ghItlhpu' André, jatlh:
> I noticed the same sometimes happening with the topic marker {-'e'}.

You may not have wanted to raise this as a separate issue, but I will.


taH:
> Okrand explained its usage pretty well and we have a lot of examples.
> He
 decided to call it a topic marker (it would get capitalized in
> some 
other linguists' grammars). Yet there are people who judge from
> the 
label only and believe they could construct an entire OVS clause
> after a
 noun marked with {-'e'} (meaning for instance "As for crew,
> everyone 
trusts the captain."). This works with topic constructions
> in Chinese 
and perhaps Japanese, but certainly not in Klingon.

Actually, yes, this does work perfectly fine in Klingon.

beq'e' HoD luvoq Hoch.
As for the crew, everyone trusts the captain.

In Klingon {-'e'} is BOTH focus AND topic. Or more accurately, it can
be either focus or topic, depending on where the {-'e'}-marked noun
appears. We don't have much canon of {-'e'} as topic, as opposed to
focus, but we do have one incontrovertible one:

qIbDaq SuvwI''e' SoH Dun law' Hoch Dun puS
In the galaxy, as for warriors, you will be greatest of all. (ST5)

Here {SuvwI''e'} can't be an ordinary subject or object taking {-'e'}
for focus purposes. It cannot be anything but topic.

QeS 'utlh