[Tlhingan-hol] Canon and feelings for translating be-verbs with "there"

[Robyn Stewart]

I know that I write and say sentences like:

law' 'Iw. - Blood is abundant. = There's a lot of blood.
puS Soj. - Food is sparse. = There's not much food.
Sar nuHchaj. - Their weapons are various. = They have a variety of weapons.
(A slightly different matter, but I'd be interested in that, too).

Do we have any canon for the second translation with "there"? Is it just
obvious as a way to make a smooth translation? Or does anyone feel that 'Iw
law' tu'lu' is necessary in order to use that translation. Does anyone
prefer 'Iw law' tu'lu' for that thought and think puS Soj is stilted?

The KLPC syllabus does not include -lu' or adjectival use of stative verbs,
and I am working on the principle of introducing nothing that is not on the
syllabus, while still creating sentences.

The closest I have found so far in canon for the "there" appearing in the
translation to smooth things over is [naDev] qaS wanI' ramqu' - There is
nothing happening [here]. 
It's the same idea:  "verb X" which should strictly be translated as "X
verbs" becomes "There is X verbing."

I don't expect anyone is going to object to such translations, but I have
been twitching for fifteen years every time I see ghopHomDu' translated as
"small hands" in the postal course, so I want to make sure this doesn't irk
anyone.

- Qov


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