De'vID:
When Klingon is spoken
Indeed, this is the important point here: "when klingon is spoken". Before starting this thread, while contemplating this matter, I asked myself: "If klingons actually existed, and heard a single noun with the voice of the speaker being colored as if there was an {-'a'} attached to it, then wouldn't he understand it (the noun) as a question ? Since during speech, the voice in Klingon is "colored" (I'm using the word we use in Greece, because I don't know the english word), as it is in english (to express anger/frustration/sadness), then probably a noun followed by a question mark, would probably be understood in Klingon as being a question. However, I agree that this is something that would mainly take place in informal spoken speech. qunnoq On Aug 26, 2017 08:15, "De'vID" <de.vid.jonpin@gmail.com> wrote:
On Aug 25, 2017 19:15, "mayqel qunenoS" <mihkoun@gmail.com> wrote:
In order to form a question, we can either use the interrogative {-'a'}, or we can use question words such as {nuq}, {chay'}, etc..
However, recently I have been wondering whether it would be allowed, if the conversation calls for it, to write a noun placing next to it the question mark.
For example:
{mawambe'chugh vaj nuq wISop ? pu'meymaj ?} If we don't hunt, then what will we eat ? Our phasers ?
In Star Trek III, Kruge asks {vaj Daleghpu'?} Valkris answers {HISlaH jawwI'} even though it wasn't a {-'a'} question.
Star Trek V has a line spoken by Klaa that goes {'entepray'? qIrq Duj 'oH.} It might be an exclamation rather than a question, though it's phrased kind of like a rhetorical question.
When Klingon is spoken, the grammar is a bit more lax than what's stated in TKD. According to the rules, you'd have to say {pu'meymaj DISop'a'?}, but if you said {pu'meymaj?} it would be acceptable spoken Klingon.
-- De'vID
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