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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