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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 11/17/2020 1:09 PM, Will Martin
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:8D5C464B-0762-472E-ABB0-F8A2AE3A0B56@mac.com">
<div class="">While I understand that it’s common in English and
perhaps other human languages to answer a “Why?” question with a
dependent clause starting with “Because”, I’m curious as to
whether or not we can assume the same is true in Klingon.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">Likely, this is less of a grammar question than a
cultural one, since it’s obvious that you CAN do it. The
question is more whether a native Klingon speaker (in the
imaginary world where they exist) would receive such an answer
with aplomb, or whether it would raise eyebrows and sideways
glances, like walking up to someone working at a desk, putting
out your hand for a handshake, yelling, {nuqneH!}</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">One complete sentence version would be:</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">{ja’chuqtaHvIS loDqoqpu’, jatlhlaHba’ *SIparta’ngan*
be’.}</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">And no, I don’t expect anyone to agree with me.</div>
</blockquote>
<p>I think you're speculating on whether Klingons would utter a
subordinate clause without using a main clause... and the answer
is yes.</p>
<p><b>qIrq vIjeylaHchugh...</b><i> If I could defeat Kirk...</i>
(Captain Klaa, <i>Star Trek V</i>)<br>
<b>lIchopbe'chugh ghewmey</b><i> If the bugs do not bite you.
(Power Klingon)</i> (This one is even the direct answer to a
question.)<br>
</p>
<p>And in the general case, we see instances where answers are
shortened. <i>Conversational Klingon</i> tells us we can shorten
complete answers to just <b>HIja'</b> or <b>ghobe'.</b> We see
people reading status reports in heading-content format like <b>jabbI'ID
pItlh.</b> We see questions posed as statements, like <b>vaj
Daleghpu'.</b> We see nouns used as commands, like <b>chuyDaH</b>
and <b>HaSta.</b> We have noun exclamations, like <b>Qapla'</b>
and <b>Ha'DIbaH.</b> We have sentences without verbs or pronouns,
like <b>DIvI' neHmaH</b> and <b>DoS jonta' neH.</b> We get
explanations without main verbs, like <b>bach Do', qaH.</b> We
have nouns as questions, like <b>latlh?</b> To which the the
answer is more nouns: <b>wa' tera'ngan je wa' romuluSngan.</b></p>
<p>So we have lots and lots of reason to believe that Klingons use
incomplete sentences when speaking to each other. We also know
it's not impossible for Klingons to utter subordinate clauses
without main clauses, and to use these clauses as answers to
questions. We have far more examples of "formal" writing than we
do of Klingons speaking to each other in normal language. I see no
reason at all to restrict oneself to answering questions with full
sentences, and I see no reason to single out <b>-mo'</b> in this
regard.<br>
</p>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
SuStel
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://trimboli.name">http://trimboli.name</a></pre>
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