[tlhIngan Hol] to comma or not to comma ?

[SuStel]

On 8/16/2019 9:11 AM, mayqel qunen'oS wrote:
> I know, that probably there's no Ca'Non for this, but I'll ask anyway.
>
> Should I write:
>
> raSDaq vIghro' tu'lu'
> or
> raSDaq, vIghro' tu'lu'
>
> Should I write:
>
> pa'Daq vIghro'vaD nIm vIqeng
> or
> pa'Daq, vIghro'vaD nIm vIqeng
> or
> pa'Daq, vIghro'vaD, nIm vIqeng
>
>
> Should I write
>
> vIghro' gha'cher bo'Degh je vIlegh
> or
> vIghro', gha'cher, bo'Degh je vIlegh
>
> Should I write
>
> jISop 'ej jItlhutlh
> or
> jISop, 'ej jItlhutlh
>
It doesn't matter. It really doesn't. So far as I know, no one has ever 
written a popularly accepted Klingon style guide of punctuation, and 
even if someone had, it would be a prescriptive style guide only, not a 
rule.

That said, here are my suggestions.

I usually reserve commas for separating purpose and subordinate clauses 
from other clauses if they are complex enough to be potentially 
confusing, and for separating items in a conjunction of three or more 
items (and please include an Oxford comma!). I might use one to separate 
a time expression from what comes after it if it's unclear where the one 
ends and the next begins. Occasionally I'll use a comma to separate a 
quotation from a verb of speech, though my approach to the punctuation 
of this has never settled down. (I am currently not in favor of always 
using full quotation marks around the quotation.) I tend to use 
semicolons between closely related sentences that have no verbal link 
between them (e.g., *'uSDaj chop; chev*).

I recommend keeping punctuation to a minimum: use no more than necessary 
to remove any awkward spots in a text. Don't use it to show verbal 
pauses. (If you must show verbal pauses, only do so when reporting 
dialogue, and use an ellipsis.)

-- 
SuStel
http://trimboli.name

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