[Tlhingan-hol] Concerning the purpose clauses

[David Holt]

ghItlh qunnoQ HoD:

> "..the purpose clause must precede the noun or verb it is describing.."
>
> My difficulty is to figure out which actually is the noun or verb that is being described.

As the sentence from TKD says, it is the noun or verb immediately after the {-meH} clause.  {ja'chuqmeH rojHom} means "a truce in order to discuss".  {ja'chuqmeH neH} means "he wants it in order to discuss".  Of course, it gets a little more confusing when the verb that follows has an object.  Since that object must preceed the verb, it appears immediately after the {-meH} clause and you are stuck trying to decide if it is modifying the noun or the verb.

> In the sentence {ja'chuqmeH rojHom neH jagh la'}  <<The enemy commander wishes a
> truce (in order) to confer.>> which is this noun or verb ?
> the {rojHom},the {jagh la'} or the {neH} ?

It cannot be modifying the {jagh la'} because that is long after it, not immediately after it.  However, {rojHom} and {neH} are both good possibilities and the Klingon sentence does not make it clear which it is.  You may have to read it both ways and see which one makes sense, though most such examples will have a very similar meaning either way and it won't really matter much.  For example:

(ja'chuqmeH rojHom) neH jagh la'. - "The enemy commander wants (a truce for discussing)."
(ja' chuqmeH rojHom neH) jagh la'. - "The enemy commander (wants, in order to discuss,) a truce."

Though there is a technical difference between these two sentences, there are very few situations where the difference is vital.  I can imagine a follow-up discussion going like this:

ja'chuqmeH rojHom? - A truce for discussing?
HIja'.  ja'chuqmeH neH. - Yes.  He wants it in order to discuss.

> Similarly I wonder : In the sentence {jagh luHoHmeH jagh lunejtaH} <<they are searching
> for the enemy in order to kill him/her>>, which is the noun or verb that the relative clause
> must precede ? the {jagh} or the {lunejtaH} ?

Let's try the same exercise with this one.
(jagh luHoHmeH jagh) lunejtaH. - "They are searching for (the enemy for killing the enemy).
Hmm... "the enemy for killing the enemy" doesn't make much sense.  Let's see if the other way is better.
(jagh luHoHmeH jagh lunejtaH). - "They are (searching for, in order to kill the enemy,) the enemy."
That works a little better, don't you think?

janSIy
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