[Tlhingan-hol] KLBC: "shut up or I'll hit you"

[SuStel]

On 2/25/2016 3:26 PM, John R. Harness wrote:
> For my part I want simple clarification on adverbials and conjunctions.
> I see what lojmIt tI'wI'nuv is saying about vaj being an adverbial, not
> a conjunction.  But dang doesn't it act a lot like a conjunction -- I
> mean it is relating one statement to another: X, thus Y. Or rather: X.
> Thus, Y.
>
> So what is it doing in {bIjeghbe'chugh vaj bIHegh}?
>
> Maybe that question is really: What is bIjeghbe'chugh doing without a
> main verb?

I think we have to accept that the common {X-be'chugh vaj Y} formation 
is somewhat formulaic and doesn't completely follow the basic grammar of 
TKD. Theoretically you should also be able to approach a browser in your 
shop and demand, {vaj bIHegh bIje'be'chugh}, but what is being 
therefore'd? Why don't we say {bIje'be'chugh bIHegh}?

I think we have here yet another instance where young Okrand translated 
from English a little too literally, and has since embraced his error by 
making it standard. "If you do not buy (bIje'be'chugh) then you will die 
(vaj bIHegh)."

So, (no pun intended,) what we probably have is a {vaj} sentence being a 
conclusion of a subordinate clause, regardless of the appearance that 
either the subordinate clause has no main clause, or the subordinate 
clause is actually ATTACHED to the conclusion as its main clause. Either 
way we get an exception to the general rules.

As an interesting aside, let us remember the origin of {vaj}: Kruge has 
just heard Valkris say he'll find the Genesis data interesting, and he 
replies, {vaj Daleghpu'?} (it's a question only by intonation). He's 
drawing a conclusion, and he's not referencing any specific sentence 
uttered by either himself or Valkris as a direct antecedent for the 
{vaj}. The antecedent is simply his understanding of the situation.

Notice also that the first edition of TKD didn't have a verb suffix 
{-mo'}. To explain a cause, you had to employ a pair of sentences like 
{nom jISoppu'; vaj 'oy' burghwIj} "I ate quickly; thus my stomach 
hurts." Once {-mo'} was introduced you could reduce this to a single 
sentence: {nom jISoppu'mo' 'oy' burghwIj} "because I ate quickly, my 
stomach hurts."

-- 
SuStel
http://trimboli.name