[Tlhingan-hol] KLBC: Beginner's One-Sentence Story Game

[Alan Anderson]

On Wed, Feb 24, 2016 at 1:17 PM, mayql qunenoS <mihkoun at gmail.com> wrote:
> QISta':
>>>bergh HoD 'ej jach: «yItamchoH! 'ach romuluSnganDaq
>> SoH qangeH!» Oops! I meant to say {pagh}, for "or I'll send
>> you to the Romulans". Not sure if that's correct either... :-(
>
> Recently, Qov had pointed out to me (thank you Qov !) that the klingon
> word {pagh} (conj) <or, either/or>, cannot be used in klingon, in the
> same way that we would say in english <surrender or die>.

I'm not sure it's accurate to say it *can not* be used like that.
Rather, I would say that it *is not* used like that.

> <if you don't become quite then I will send you to the romulans>.
> {yItamchoHbe'chugh vaj romuluSnganpu'Daq qangeH !}.

You didn't modify the first verb prefix to account for the change away
from the imperative. It should be {bItamchoHbe'chugh}. I probably
wouldn't use the {-choH} suffix if I were actually saying the phrase,
but it carries the right meaning here. My main reason for wanting to
leave it off is to keep the utterance brief, in character with how I'm
interpreting the speaker's attitude.

> 2. I chose to omit the {SoH}, since it is already expressed by the use
> of the prefix {qa-}.

As I read it, the thrust of the phrase was to contrast sending
tribbles with sending "you". The emphasis implied by the explicit
pronoun is perfectly appropriate.

{bItambe'chugh vaj SoH qangeH} "If you aren't silent, then it is YOU
that I will send."

-- ghunchu'wI'