[Tlhingan-hol] Noun sequences

[Robyn Stewart]

You won’t find a formula of A and B and C that tell you what a noun string should mean.  You have to say it, see if it makes sense, and then see if adding the next layer makes sense. 

 

We know {Bob, John puqloD} works.

 

In English “Bob, son of John, son of Fred...” may work just because each phrase sets up the new name at the end, to be in apposition with the next “son of...” phrase. Perhaps Voragh the canon master will spot this and enlighten us about whether the Klingon grammar of extended genealogy has ever been used in an episode or paq’batlh.  To make it clear, I might say Bob, John puqloD, Fred puqnI’loD je, but that’s not extensible through more generations.

 

As for the rank designation, HoD Qanqor is a kind of special case.  He was known as HoD Qanqor before we knew thatthe proper way to specify a Klingon rank is Qanqor HoD—the title follows the name. He jokes now that his NAME is HoD Qanqor and his rank is HoD, and thus that his full name and title is HoD Qanqor HoD.  Without this history on Qanqor, HoD DaS would mean the captain’s boot, and DaS HoD would mean Captain Boot.  Indeed, Picard HoD could mean Picard’s captain. I don’t remember a conversation in which this sort of thing became a problem, but I suppose it could.

I’m also trying to find a context in which A ‘oHbogh B makes sense to me.  ?{Picard ghaHbogh HoD}  ?{HoD ghaHbogh Picard}.  The difficulty is that I don’t think a –bogh clause can act like a noun in a N-N construction.

 

- Qov

 

From: Anthony Appleyard [mailto:a.appleyard at btinternet.com] 
Sent: October 11, 2015 6:39
To: tlhingan-hol at kli.org
Subject: [Tlhingan-hol] Noun sequences

 

If any sequence of nouns "A B" means "B of A", how to say e.g. "A son of B son of C"? I have been using "A B puqloD C puqloD". Or does that always mean "son of C of son of B of A"? Or what? I have seen uses of A B where the 2 nouns are in apposition, i.e. "A who is B": e.g."HoD Qanqor" or "Qanqor HoD" means "Captain Krankor" and not "the captain's Krankor" or "Krankor's captain".

Does "Picard HoD" mean "Captain Picard" now, but "Picard's captain" before he was promoted to captain? Or what?

Sometimes I have used "A 'oHbogh B" to mean "A which is B", i.e. "A B" where A and B are in apposition.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apposition

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