On 8/22/2016 9:16 AM, Lieven wrote:
Am 22.08.2016 um 15:04 schrieb SuStel:
Your use of aspect has been turning into tense lately. Be careful!
Yes, indeed. Basic rule to remember: if in doubt, do not use it :-)
I'd say the basic rule is, if in doubt, ask someone else. Omitting an aspect suffix has a specific, anti-aspect meaning.
ago. *ben law' */dog/ *vIghaj* /many years ago I had a dog. /On the other hand, the aspect suffix on *vIpongta'* is appropriate.
Although it could also be omitted: Using the -ta' suffix, it means that you have given the name to the dog, is was the action of labeling the name that is completed. Without the suffix, it means that you were naming your dog like this constantly.
I said the aspect suffix was appropriate, because his meaning in this case is clear. Let's not confuse the issue. The aspect suffix should not be omitted in this sentence because he's trying to establish a time context of many years ago, in which he was in possession of a dog and had previously given that dog a name.
As a different topic (maybe someone else said before) I would suggest you use {targh} to talk about your dog, even though it's not a targ. It makes you think more in Klingon when writing (and it's easier to read for others as well - a "g" without "h" just looks unusual)
I disagree. Use a foreign word if the language has no native word that will do. A dog is not a targ, and is not close enough to a targ for Maltz to have translated *targh* as /dog./ -- SuStel http://trimboli.name