[tlhIngan Hol] thoughts on the -be'pu' vs -pu'be'

[mayqel qunen'oS]

SuStel:
> If you bring up such fine points of grammar to the ordinary
> English speaker, most will just shrug and say something like
> "I dunno. Whatever." I think the ordinary Klingon speaker
> would do the same thing.

Now you reminded me..

Some years ago, I was asking something similar.. I don't remember
exactly what it was, but I think it had to do with me trying to
understand which suffix influences which and why.

Then, at some point in the thread, charghwI' replied by saying:
"arguing about something like this, would probably get you killed on
Qo'noS." Then, I found that so funny, laughing so much that I still
remember that incident although 2-3 years or more have passed.

Fun aside, I agree that most native speakers in any language wouldn't
care to analyze such details. When I was considering the question of
this thread, initially I asked myself how I perceive this matter in
klingon. Then I asked myself how I perceive this matter in english..
But as soon as I begun to ask myself how I perceive this matter in
greek, immediately the thought appeared in my mind:

Shut up, don't ask me that; I don't care. I just don't. I won't start
wondering the differences between the greek equivalent phrases. I
don't give a crap.

So, yes; from personal experience I understand that a native speaker
doesn't care the slightest, about these details..

And I believe that the average klingon reader, regardless whether he
read {wa'Hu', pItSa' vISopbe'}, {wa'Hu', pItSa' vISopbe'pu'}, or
{wa'Hu', pItSa' vISoppu'be'}, he wouldn't stop even for a second in
order to think if it's historical present, or past tense, or an event
completed. He would understand "yesterday I didn't eat a pizza", and
that's it - case closed. And I would think exactly the same, since I
never stop to analyze whenever I read others' klingon what *exactly*
their aspect (or lack of it) means.

However, I do believe that it's always better if we know how things
work, even if in the end we tend not to (over)analyze things in the
actual everyday use of klingon.

~ mayqel qunen'oS
'Imyaghbogh DoS vIpoQ