[tlhIngan Hol] mu' chu' chabal tetlh!
Jeremy Silver
jp.silver at tiscali.co.uk
Sat Mar 25 06:38:35 PDT 2017
On Friday 24 Mar 2017 20:12:00 SuStel wrote:
> On 3/24/2017 6:13 PM, Felix Malmenbeck wrote:
> > == DISCUSSION ONLY: No new requests in this message. ==
> >
> >
> > Another thing that might be useful for discussing pumping is expressions
> > for describing repeated actions. Examples of useful distinctions might
> > include:
> >
> > repeatedly
> > do and then undo
>
> This is the sort of thing Klingon doesn't do generically, but it does
> well specifically. For instance, *bagh; ghIq baghHa'*/tie; then untie./
>
> > (ir)regularly
>
> I would expect *roD* /regularly /and **roDHa'* /irregularly /for this,
> though the latter is unattested.
>
> > periodically
>
> Either *roD* or *rut* will work for this, depending on which meaning of
> /periodically/ you mean.
>
> > cyclically
> > ad infinitum
> > with (increasing/decreasing/oscillating/unchanged) amplitude
> > with (increasing/decreasing/oscillating/unchanged) frequency
> >
> > For example, if we pretend that we have adverbs with these "definitions":
> >
> > {[irregularly] joqtaH tIqwIj.}
> > ("My heart is beating irregularly.")
>
> Right now we can say *roD joqtaHbe' tIqwIj,* though it would be nice if
> we knew we could say **roDHa' joqtaH tIqwIj.*
>
Trouble is, I'm not convinced this is quite the right meaning.
As {roD} seems to cover primarily what the usual/habitual action of something
is.
{roD joqtaHbe' tIqwIj} suggests I am an android or a member of the undead, or
maybe J-l Picard depending on the nature of his replacement - it is not
typical for the heart to beat as its usual action.
I think {roDHa'} is closer, but I don't believe it covers regularly spaced
periodic/cyclic actions changing that regularity.
I think our point is things like {bagh; ghIq baghHa'} work once. One
wavelength if you will. The {bagh; ghIq baghHa'} needs to be described as a
cycle which repeats continuously, to describe the ongoing waveform.
It is the concept of *repeating* we're after. The regularity is to do with the
fixed spacing of the repeats, not whether an action is habitual or not.
Now I'm thinking of it, using {joq} in the sense flapping/fluttering for a
heartbeat is entirely the wrong imagery. A flag flapping due to the vagaries
of the wind, is as random and irregular as you can get. A fluttering heartbeat
is one you shouldn't have. A nice solid, regular, one is preferable.
But I'm guessing we're stuck with it now.
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