[tlhIngan Hol] Don't be alarmed, now.

[Will Martin]

In translating Stairway to Heaven, I hit a snag on the line, “Don’t be alarmed, now.”

If we had a verb for “be alarmed”, you could say, {yI-[be alarmed]Qo’}, but the verb is {ghum} — “alarm, sound an alarm”. In a Statement, we could build “be alarmed” out of {glumlu’}, but when you put the {yI-} on it, the subject is expected to be the First Person.

Well, the statement “I am alarmed,” would be {vIghumlu’} or “-indefinite subject- alarms me."

Does the imperative prefix do the same {-lu’} trick pointing to the object instead of the subject? Is {yIghumlu’} valid for “Be alarmed!”?

If so, {yIghumlu’Qo’} is perfectly meaningful and grammatical. But Okrand doesn’t tell us about {-lu’} with the Imperative.

So, in translation, I just took the leap of faith, figuring this must be the case, or else there can be no use of {-lu’} with the Imperative.

But then, how would I say, “Don’t alarm the others!”?

{latlhpu’vaD yIghumQo’!}?

And “Don’t be alarmed, for the others,” as in, “For the sake of not alarming the others, show no fear.”…

{latlhpu’vaD yIghumlu’Qo’}?

Then again, did I derail myself from the very beginning assuming that {ghum} can take an object other than the alarm being sounded?

vISIvmoHlu’bejtaH.

pItlh

charghwI’ ‘utlh
(ghaH, ghaH, -Daj)




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