[tlhIngan Hol] teH vs {-na'}

[De'vID]

On Wed, 14 Aug 2019 at 12:26, mayqel qunen'oS <mihkoun at gmail.com> wrote:

> I used {-na'} because in my mind, I had attributed to it the meaning
> "to be real, true" as opposed to "counterfeit". In other words,
> somewhere along the way, I started perceiving the {-na'} to be
> conveying a meaning opposite to the verb {ngeb}.
>
> Luckily though, yesterday, I had the idea of checking with the tkd.
> So, lets remember, the way {-na'} is defined:
>
> tkd:
> > {-na'} <definite>
> > This is the counterpart of {-Hey.} It indicates that there is no
> > doubt in the speaker's mind as to the accuracy of his or her
> > choice of words. Once the Klingon officer referred to above is
> > sure that the object the scanner has found is a vessel, he might
> > report the presence of {Dujna'} <a definite vessel, undoubtedly a
> > vessel.>
>
> So, after reading the relevant tkd part, I understood that by saying
> {tamghayna' 'oH Hurghchu'ghach'e'}, I'm not actually saying "perfect
> darkness is the true light" (true as opposed to fake/counterfeit).
>
> By saying {tamghayna' 'oH Hurghchu'ghach'e'}, i'm actually saying
> "perfect darkness is the definite light" as in "perfect darkness is
> surely the light".
>

You're missing something fundamental. A verb used adjectivally describes
something about *the noun* it follows. The suffix {-na'} indicates the
degree of *your* (the speaker's) certainty about it. {Dujna'} is not "a
vessel that is definite", it is "a thing that the speaker is sure is
definitely a vessel". {teH} and {-na'} are not even comparable, because
they apply to different things.

A {ngeblaw'bogh Dujna'} is a thing which the speaker is sure is a ship (as
opposed to, say, a missile), but which he or she thinks may be fake (i.e.,
definitely a ship, but a fake ship as opposed to a real ship).

-- 
De'vID
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