[tlhIngan Hol] Klingon Word of the Day: matlhHa'

[SuStel]

On 9/19/2016 12:18 PM, mayqel qunenoS wrote:
> SuStel:
>> But I can tell you that -lu' does not mean "someone does something to someone."
>> It means "someone or something unspecified or abstract does something." Maybe
>> it's done to something, maybe not.
> This confuses me greatly;
>
> I read again section 4.2.5. of tkd, and yes the first thing it says is
> "This suffix is used to indicate that the subject is unknown,
> indefinite, and/or general".
>
> On the other hand though, immediately it continues by saying: "Since
> the subject is always the same (that is, it is always unstated), the
> pronominal prefixes (section 4.1.1) are used in a different way". And
> proceeds by giving examples of the kind "someone/something does
> something to someone/something".
>
> Even the example {Soplu'} is given as "it is eaten". Of course it
> could be also taken as "someone eats it"; but, how can someone write
> {Soplu'} in order to say "someone eats (period)" ?

If I wrote *Sop HoD,* does it mean /the captain eats/ or /the captain 
eats it?/ It means both! You know that.

So why should it trouble you that *Soplu'* means both /one eats/ and 
/one eats it?/

> Perhaps you will answer by saying "even if you say someone eats
> (period), then again *that* someone is eating something so we
> essentially say the same thing".
>
> ok.. perhaps I can see your point; but my problem is that the tkd does
> not have a single example like {yItlu'} for "someone is walking", or
> {neplu'} for "someone is lying" etc. So, how can we accept such a
> usage of {-lu'} ?

How about *quSDaq ba'lu''a'*/Is this seat taken?/ in the appendix?

> SuStel:
>> The difference is that vay' indicates a definite "someone,"
>> while -lu' might be used when that someone is more abstract
> I can't understand this either; how is {lu'} abstract and {vay'}
> definite ? Both mean someone. Someone unknown/unspecified. I can't see
> any difference between them.
*vay'* is a subject; *-lu'* is just the lack of a subject.*-lu'* means 
"Obviously something or someone does this action, but I'm not gonna say 
what it is."

-- 
SuStel
http://trimboli.name

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