[tlhIngan Hol] using "right" (side) and "left" (side) with possessive suffixes on their own

[Will Martin]

I personally interpret {poS} and {nIH} to be spacially deictic references, so adding {-Daq} is somewhat redundant, but okay, and adding {-wIj} is also somewhat redundant, unless context might suggest other than first person, but again, this is okay. Adding the separate noun {Daq} is going farther in redundancy than I would go, though I lack any claim to authority to declare that as official. Okrand could easily declare otherwise.

I would prefer {bIpotlhchu’; nIHwIj DeS} to anything that puts the possessive suffix on {DeS}, unless you, through context, are trying to refer to someone ELSE’S right side, where they might find my arm, as in, “We are facing each other and I’m talking about my left arm, which is on your right.” I read it as “You are perfectly important; You resemble the right’s my arm, or my arm of the right,” instead of the more common “You are perfectly important; You resemble my right’s arm, or the arm of my right.”

If that other version is canon, Do’Ha’. I honestly think Okrand must have been less mindful than usual when he came up with it, and so, we are stuck with ugly canon. It happens.

{DeS nIHwIj} means “The arm’s my right”, suggesting the side of someone’s arm that is toward my right. We’re talking about the half of an arm that is on my right. We don’t know where the arm is. We only know that it has a side that is toward my right.

{nIH DeSwIj} means “the right side’s my arm” or “my arm of the right side”. Lacking context, one might presume by deictic trend that we’re talking about the speaker’s right, but the possessive is placed on the arm, not the right, so context could also suggest that we’re talking about some other person’s right.

I really prefer {nIHwIj DeS}. It’s my right side’s arm. It’s the arm of my right side. Unless context heavily suggests that we’re talking about somebody else’s arm, it’s pretty clear that we’re talking about my right arm.

But I’m probably completely wrong and about to be Klingonsplained. Yep. I’m a pot, calling a kettle black. Guilty as charged.

At least it wards off the pandemic boredom, right?

Let us entertain you.

charghwI’ vaghnerya’ngan

rInpa’ bomnIS be’’a’ pI’.

> On Oct 2, 2020, at 10:51 AM, mayqel qunen'oS <mihkoun at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> qatlho', voragh.
> 
> Sojvam vIQubqa'pu', 'ej chaq lugh DuH wa' DuH cha' *je*. {poSDaq
> nIHDaq je} lo'chugh S9 mu'tlhegh, 'ej {poSDaq} retlhDaq pagh latlh DIp
> lanchugh, vaj ghaytan {nIHwIjDaq} neH jatlhchugh nuv, Qaghbe' nuvvam.
> teH, {poSwIj DaqDaq} jatlhchugh nuv, lugh DuHvam je, 'ej chaq DuH'e'
> wIvbogh nuv wuq nuvvam ngoQ. "at my left" neH jatlhnISchugh nuv,
> {poSwIjDaq} neH jatlh, 'a "at the location of my left" jatlhnISchugh,
> vaj {poSwIj DaqDaq} jatlh.
> 
> pojvammo' - 'ej Qochchugh pagh - lugh je {poSwIjDaq} 'e' vIHarchoH.
> 'ach klingon.wiki vInaw'taHvIS, pa' vay' jum vItu'pu'..
> 
> http://klingon.wiki/En/ILoveYou DaqDaq mu'tlhegh veb tu'lu':
> 
> bIpotlhchu'; DeS nIHwIj Darur.
> You are clearly important; you resemble my "right arm".
> 
> {bIpotlhchu'; nIH DeSwIj Darur} 'oHnISbe''a' mu'tlheghvam ?
> 
> ~ Qa'yIn
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