[tlhIngan Hol] {-be'} on {-lu'}.. seriously ?

[Lieven L. Litaer]

Am 23.01.2018 um 09:54 schrieb mayqel qunenoS:
> If I wrote {Soplu'be'}, then what would this mean ? "not someone 
> unspecified eats" ? And if I want to say "not someone unspecified eats", 
> then why not just write {Sop (subject)} ?

Because you can't say "subject" if the subject is not known, and that's 
what {-lu'} is used for. Compare these following phrases:

{chab Sop targh} "The targ eats the pie"
This is clear who ate it.

{chab Soplu'} "Some unknown subject eats the pie" or "the pie is eaten".

This can be used to describe a half pie standing on the table during the
party: You say that it is being eaten, but you did not observe who ate 
it. It's kind of a general expression, "This is a pie that has been 
eaten by someone"

{chab Sop vay'} "Somebody eats (or has eaten) the pie"

Talking about the same pie on the party table. This could be used to 
describe an observed action: You see "somebody" eting the pie. Even in 
past tense, you may say "someone ate the pie". But still that's a 
definite subject, it's different from {-lu'}.

Adding a negation turns {chab Soplu'} into {chab Soplu'be'}, negating 
the entire phrase [Soplu']. You say this when sou discover that the pie 
on the table is left untouched. Nobody tried from it.

---

Next, we may discuss the difference in the word order, hence {-be'lu'}. 
This is certaily dependant on the verb, for instance look at {legh}. 
When negating {legh} you get a verb that can be something like "being 
blind". I understand {leghbe'lu'} as "one is doing some not-seeing" as 
opposed to {leghlu'be'} "the act of seeing does not happen".

This actually works with {Sop} as well, when you think of {Sopbe'} a 
verb of refusing to eat (like in a hunger strike) or if somebody wants 
to loose weight. Go to a weight atchers meeting, then you can say {naDev 
Sopbe'lu'}. The cake standing there has been {Soplu'be'}. THAT's the 
difference.


-- 
Lieven L. Litaer
aka the "Klingon Teacher from Germany"
http://www.klingonisch.de
http://www.klingonwiki.net/En/StarTrekDiscovery