[tlhIngan Hol] Some short questions

[Will Martin]

> On Sep 22, 2021, at 10:18 AM, SuStel <sustel at trimboli.name> wrote:
> 
> On 9/22/2021 9:48 AM, luis.chaparro at web.de <mailto:luis.chaparro at web.de> wrote:
>> ...
>> 2. Are these sentences correct?
>>  
>> *ghItlhwI' 'op paq* (Some books of the writer/s)
>> *'op ghItlhwI' paq* (The book/s of some writers)
>>  
>> The second one *cannot* mean *Some books of the writer/s*, right? And the same goes for other similar nouns like *Hoch*, doesn't it?
> We don't know that. The exact rules for modifiers of noun-noun constructions, if there are any exact rules, are not clear.
> 
Agreed. You can either guess how this might work and hope that others understand you, or you can use some other grammatical construction to convey this meaning that has clearer rules and will be more universally understood:

*ghItlhwI’ ‘op paq* (Some books of the writer/s) -> {op paq’e' ghItlhta’bogh ghItlhwI’} [or] {op paq’e' ghajbogh ghItlhwI’} depending on whether you are talking about books written by or books owned by the writer/s.

*’op ghItlhwI’ paq* (The book/s of some writers) -> {paq’e’ (lu-)ghItlhta’bogh ‘op ghItlhwI’} [or] {paq’e’ (lu-)ghajbogh ‘op ghItlhwI’} depending on whether you are talking about one book or plural books, and whether you are talking about books written by or owned by the writers.


>> 3. Are ellipses like this one allowed in Klingon?: *wa'Hu' chab vISoppu', DaHjaj naH*. Or must I repeat *vISoppu'*?
> We don't have a lot of guidance regarding sentence fragments. What I will say is that, colloquially, Klingons seem to use them a lot. I have no problem with your suggestion, provided it's clearly said in a colloquial setting. Don't try that sort of thing where formality would be preferred.
> 
Klingon doesn’t have a noun clause, so the elipse you suggest can’t be grammatical Klingon, but people can always say ungrammatical things and be understood. TKD doesn’t describe ungrammatical, but understandable utterances.

I’ve been watching a Japanese TV series with English subtitles, Midnight Diner, on Netflix, and I’m impressed by the subtitles every time Master grunts. He nods his head in a miniature bow and grunts and the subtitles might say, “Thank you”, or “You are welcome”, or “Yes” or “I know”, or “That is acceptable,” or one of his customers might grunt and the subtitle says, “The food is delicious,” or whatever.

No academic class in Japanese is ever going to teach you when to grunt and what that grunt might mean. TKD is like an academic class in speaking Klingon.

pItlh

charghwI’ ‘utlh
(ghaH, ghaH, -Daj)

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