[tlhIngan Hol] does -jaj have the "may your request be granted" meaning ?

Steven Boozer sboozer at uchicago.edu
Wed Sep 30 13:19:55 PDT 2020


This confusion may be why Marc Okrand came up with {jIn} "wish".  Lieven provided his conversation with him in the [qepHom 2015 booklet (p. 12):

MO: {chabal} is something desired or requested.  There also is a
         verb"to wish", as in "I wish I could…} {jIn}.
             tlhIngan jIH 'e' vIjIn
             I wish I were a Klingon. 
LL:    In German, the verb wish can have an indirect object, which
         sounds awkward in English […]
MO: No, that's something you want: Like in English, you either say
         "I wish I had a beer" or just "I want a beer".  The verb {jIn} 
         cannot have a thing as an object.
LL:    What about the song "We wish you a merry Christmas..."?
MO: That's a different wish; that's not this one. It's more the {-jaj} 
         solution.  {jIn} usually has a phrase as an object, not a thing. 

--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons

----------------------------------------Original Message----------------------------------------
From: Lieven L. Litaer
Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2020 1:34 PM

Am 30.09.2020 um 20:17 schrieb Will Martin:
> Everyone has been using the word “wish” to describe the verb suffix 
> {-jaj}. My understanding has been that it’s more like a blessing than 
> a wish.

I agree with what you say. The word "wish" is used because that's how TKD describes it:

<<This suffix is used to express a desire or wish on the part of the speaker that something take place in the future. [...] {-jaj} is often translated with "may" or "let," and it is particularly useful when placing a curse or making a toast.>> (TKD, addendum 176)

So, yes: you don't use that to express a wish for a Christmas present, or a wish for a sandwich.



More information about the tlhIngan-Hol mailing list