[tlhIngan Hol] Expressing must with imperatives

mayqel qunenoS mihkoun at gmail.com
Thu Nov 24 03:08:33 PST 2016


So, we could

a. save the {-nIS} for only when we actually "need' to do something.
b. use {'ut} and {net poQ}, when there is something (a law, an
authority, a situation) which requires something of us.
c. use an imperative when we want to address the "must" to others.

Of course, all these depend greatly on context, but I believe they can
be quite important and applicable guidelines.

and because I'm almost certain someone will ask "what if you need to
say the must to yourself ?", then the workaround is simple:

"I must write this message"
{qunnoHvaD jIjatlhta': QInvam yIghItlh}

qunnoH jan puqloD

On Thu, Nov 24, 2016 at 12:57 PM, mayqel qunenoS <mihkoun at gmail.com> wrote:
> A while ago we talked about the nature of {-nIS} and how it differs
> from "must". And we discussed how we could work around this limitation
> through the use of {'ut} and {net poQ}.
>
> However something continued "not to feel right".
>
> A while ago I wrote: "when you're translating into klingon you must
> recreate the feeling of the original passage". If I wanted to write
> this using the above workarounds I should say {tlhIngan Hol
> DaghItlhmeH Hol nov DamughtaHvIS, Hol nov qa' Dachenqa'moH} and then
> add a {'ut}, or {net poQ}.
>
> But today I realized there is an additional way, which is perhaps even better..
>
> What does the "must' express, if not an imperative of sorts ? When I
> say "you need to do this", often I mean "you must do this", and in
> other words I'm giving a command, only I choose to do it in a more
> kind manner.
>
> But since tlhIngan Hol, isn't the weak and indecisive DIvI' Hol, we
> could avoid altogether the {-nIS} and give the command.
>
> So, in above example, instead of the
>
> {tlhIngan Hol DaghItlhmeH Hol nov DamughtaHvIS, Hol nov qa'
> Dachenqa'moH, 'ut / net poQ}
>
> I could write:
>
> {tlhIngan Hol DaghItlhmeH Hol nov DamughtaHvIS, Hol nov qa'
> yIchenqa'moH}. and then, if it is necessary I could add a {'ut}, a
> {net poQ} or whatever else (although I think that they rarely would
> be).
>
> qunnoH jan puqloD



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