[Tlhingan-hol] A question on aspect

[SuStel]

On 10/25/2015 8:31 PM, lojmIt tI'wI' nuv 'utlh wrote:
> See the suffixes {-ta’} and {-lI’}. They mean what you suggest, with
> the added potential of suggesting intent.
>
> In other words, if you are saying that something was happening for a
> while and then it ended, use {-lI’}. That’s what it means.

Well, no, {lI'} means something is progressing toward a endpoint. The 
endpoint has NOT been reached, but it exists and progress is being made 
in its direction.

> Tomorrow, I will (quite intentionally) complete the service of my
> mission.
>
> wa’Hu’ tlhuHlI’ jaghwI’.
>
> Yesterday, my enemy stopped breathing.

No, this means "Yesterday my enemy was progressing in his/her/its 
breathing." To say "Yesterday my enemy stopped breathing," say {wa'Hu' 
tlhuHbe'choH jaghwI'} or {wa'Hu' tlhuH jaghwI' 'e' mev} or maybe even 
{tlhuH jaghwI' wa'Hu' 'e' mev}.

>> On Oct 25, 2015, at 10:26 AM, qunnoQ HoD <mihkoun at gmail.com>
>> -taH is used to indicate an ongoing action (nughoStaH = it is
>> approaching us) -pu' is used to indicated something that has been
>> completed (vIneHpu'= i wanted them)
>>
>> can someone use both suffixes on the same word,to indicate an
>> action that was ongoing and eventually was completed ? something
>> like {nughoStaHpu'} or {nughoSpu'taH} ? meaning <<it was
>> approaching us/it had been approaching us>>

As others have said, you can't use two type 7 verb suffixes on the same 
verb.

When speaking, your words do not necessarily have to reflect every 
aspect of the situation all at once. In Klingon, "they were approaching 
us" and "they completed approaching us" are two separate ideas.

nughoStaH
they were approaching us

Note that they're not necessarily approaching you with the goal of 
meeting you. They might be, but the use of {-taH} keeps this unknown. To 
express the idea that they were approaching you specifically to reach 
you, say {nughoSlI'}.

nughoSpu'
they approached us

They previously had been approaching you, but now that approach is 
completed. They may not have been trying to reach you, specifically, 
though they might have been, and they may not even have reached you 
(that'd be {nughoSta'}).

{nughoSpu'} doesn't specify that the approach was continuous, but OF 
COURSE it was, because moving through space-time is continuous. You know 
it's not something they're simply in the habit of doing (e.g., {rut 
nughoS} "sometimes they approach us") because {-pu'} makes it a 
completed action.

So, depending on the context, {nughoSpu'} is probably what you want. 
Besides being illegal, the {-taH} is superfluous.

-- 
SuStel
http://www.trimboli.name/