[tlhIngan Hol] «jIH je» and variations

[SuStel]

On 11/20/2022 12:22 AM, zrajm via tlhIngan-Hol wrote:
> But I started to wonder what's going on in these phrases. I figure 
> «jIH je» are abbreviations of the longer phrases «juH qach vIghaj je 
> (jIH)» and «vIraS vIjaH vIneH je (jIH)». And, maybe, since the pronoun 
> «jIH» is the only thing verb-like in the sentence, it acts a verb in 
> the shortened phase, and the «je» therefore comes after it. (Though, 
> with that interpretation, «jIH je» sounds more like “I am too” to my 
> ears – but I remember taking about this with someone [HoD Qanqor? 
> Seqram? Qov?] at a qep'a' at some point and getting pushback. – So 
> clearly other people think differently.)

I know I have pushed back against it. *je* is a conjunction that follows 
/multiple/ nouns to conjoin them or a verb to impart an /also/ adverbial 
sense. But the *jIH* people use in *jIH je* isn't being used as a verb; 
it's being used as a noun, typically as a subject.


> But, what if «jIH» isn't a verb at all in that sentence? (Is there a 
> verb requirement in Klingon sentences? If a lone adverb can act as a 
> sentence [given adequate context] then maybe a noun [or a pronoun 
> functioning as a noun] can too?)

Is there a requirement that all utterances in Klingon be sentences? No. 
If I say *SSS!* at someone in Klingon, it is meaningful: it means I'm 
about to give a command or something is about to happen. But it's not a 
sentence.


> If that's so, wouldn't it mean that the sentences  «juH qach vIghaj je 
> jIH» and «vIraS vIjaH vIneH je jIH» should rather be abbreviated as 
> «je jIH» (retaining the word order of the longer sentence)?
>
> Or maybe the response could even abbreviated to just «je»? – Though I 
> figure the pronoun is quite likely to be used for emphasis since that 
> is new information the responder is wishing to convey.
>
> So, what do you think? Is «je jIH» better than «jIH je»? And what are 
> you arguments for your belief? – Or should the phrase be avoided 
> altogether and expressed some other way? How?

In my opinion, the Klingon equivalent to /me too/ is to repeat the verb 
in the first person and add a *je.* For example:

Klingon 1: *romuluSnganpu' vImuS!* /I hate Romulans!/
Klingon 2: *vImuS je!* /Me too!/

Klingon 1: *SIbI' ruchbe'chugh chaH, jImej.*/If they don't get on with 
it right now, I'm leaving.
/Klingon 2: *jImej je!* /Me too!/

-- 
SuStel
http://trimboli.name
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.kli.org/pipermail/tlhingan-hol-kli.org/attachments/20221120/d3b22277/attachment-0007.htm>