[tlhIngan Hol] irrealis {net jal} and the {net jalchugh}

[SuStel]

On 2/25/2020 8:01 AM, mayqel qunen'oS wrote:
> Suppose we say: {tlhIngan SoH net jalchugh..}
>
> The literal translation of this phrase is, "if someone imagines that 
> you're a klingon..". However, for reasons I never understood, its' 
> "final" translation is "if you were a klingon..".
>
> Why is this mismatch happening ? Is it a "because maltz said so" thing 
> or something ?

loghaD has answered this.


> Assume that there are two klingons speaking, with regard to a recent 
> romulan incursion. So, one of them asks: "how did it go ?" And the 
> second wants to reply by saying "it could have been bad, but luckily..".
>
> I'm wondering.. Could we express this by saying something like the 
> following ?
>
> {qablaHpu' ghu' net jal..}
>
> The literal translation would be "the situation has been able to be 
> bad"; but why couldn't we translate this klingon sentence as in the 
> {net jalchugh} case, thus producing the meaning: "the situation could 
> be bad" ?
>
> Could we use the {net jal} on its own, producing  a similar irrealis, 
> (or however the @!#@ it's called), with the {net jalchugh} ?

I don't think so. *net jalchugh* sets up the condition for an irrealis. 
It's a set phrase. *net jal* only means that someone is literally 
imagining something. There's no condition, so no irrealis, only someone 
imagining something.

To translate something like this, you might want to establish the 
conditions of the irrealis of being bad. *muleghpu' 'avwI' net jalchugh, 
qab ghu', 'ach...*/If the guard had seen me, the situation would have 
been bad, but.../

-- 
SuStel
http://trimboli.name

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