[tlhIngan Hol] Difference between..

De'vID de.vid.jonpin at gmail.com
Tue Nov 27 07:01:40 PST 2018


On Tue, Nov 27, 2018, 15:41 Lieven L. Litaer <levinius at gmx.de wrote:

> Am 27.11.2018 um 15:30 schrieb De'vID:
> >     {nIteb} describes the situation of an action, the other is an
> >     adjective.
> >     You could even say {nIteb jImob}. "I am (the only one who is) alone".
> >
> > That meaning is {neH} "only", not {nIteb}, which means "acting alone".
>
> Ehm.... not exactly. When {neH} follows a verb, it trivializes the
> action. The meaning of only is with nouns only (pun intended).
>

Of course. I'm obviously talking about when {neH} follows the pronoun {jIH}.

What I tried to express above was like "only I am in this room and
> nobody else".
>

Which is not {nIteb} but {neH}. {nIteb} means "acting alone", not "only
(alone)". They're quite distinct ideas which English confuses by using the
same word.

Also remember the phrase {nIteb SuvnIS SuvwI'} "A warrior must fight
> alone". He can still fight in a group, but nobody will help him. So he
> fight "all alone", being the only person hitting the enemy. And then, he
> cannot be {mob} because there's at least the enemy next to him.
>

The distinction I'm pointing out is one between {nIteb} and {neH}
(following a noun).

If {nIteb jImob} means "I am (the only one who is) alone" as you wrote,
then {nIteb SuvnIS SuvwI'} would mean "The warrior (is the only one who)
needs to fight". That's not what it means. That meaning is {neH}: {SuvnIS
SuvwI' neH}.

> {nIteb jImob} "Acting by myself, I am alone." (Perhaps you are
> > clarifying that nobody has isolated you.)
> >
> > {jImob jIH neH} "I alone (i.e., only I) am alone". (Perhaps you are the
> > only one without a partner at a social dance.)
>
> Yes, agreed, that's what I wrote in my first line.


You wrote: {nIteb jImob} "I am (the only one who is) alone".

This is the opposite of what I wrote above. Your English corresponds to
{jImob jIH neH}.

-- 
De'vID

>
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