On Apr 26, 2018, at 16:03, SuStel <sustel@trimboli.name> wrote:

On 4/26/2018 4:44 PM, Daniel Dadap wrote:
jatlhchuqtaHvIs jupwI' jIH je, jIqIDpu', 'a tlhaQbe' qIDwIj 'e' noH jupwI'. “chay' tlhIngan Hol jatlhtaHvIS *facepalm* jatlhlu'” 'e' ghel ghaH. “qabwIj vIweq” vIjangpu', 'a jIloy neH.

jIghel: nuq jatlh tlhInganna', moghDI' ghaH?

jatlhlaw' ghuy'cha'! pagh va!


Thanks for answering the question and also for helping me with the fiddly grammar bits. I hope my post was at least somewhat intelligible. }}}:-)

I suppose my actual question could have been more precisely worded: “ghuy'cha'” and “va” both seem like reasonable things that one might say in a moment of general frustration, whereas I was looking for a more direct analog to “facepalm”, which I interpret more as an expression of exasperation in immediate response to something that somebody has just said or done.

Do you think “qabwIj vIweq” would at least be understood to mean something like “facepalm”? Are you aware of any other expressions or idioms that might be suitable for a “facepalm” moment?

<jatlhchuqtaHvIS jupwI' jIH je>

jatlh doesn't take the person spoken to as a direct object, so you probably can't say jatlhchuq. One usually says ja'chuq, which appears in the dictionary. It's not entirely clear, though.

<chay' tlhIngan Hol jatlhtaHvIS facepalm jatlhlu'>

Don't insert the subordinate clause between the main clause and its question word. Also, keep your indefinite subject consistent throughout. tlhIngan Hol jatlhlu'taHvIS chay' facepalm jatlhlu'?


Cool, this is helpful. Would “tlhIngan Hol jatlhlu'taHvIS chay' X jatlhlu'” be a reasonable way to ask how to say X in Klingon? Is there a more concise/preferred way to do this?

<'e' ghel ghaH>

Quotations can't be objects of anything but the verbs of saying jatlh or ja', and then must use the special rule that omits 'e'. To say someone asked something, say it in two separate sentences: someone asked; someone said... ghelpu' ghaH; <tlhIngan Hol jatlhlu'taHvIS chay' facepalm jatlhlu'?> jatlhpu'. This goes for answering as well: jIjangpu'; jIjatlhpu' <qabwIj vIweq>. If asked and answered aren't vital to what you're saying, you could just drop that part and just say someone said...


Excellent, thanks again. I probably should have looked up the rules surrounding verbs of speech before writing that.

-- 
SuStel
http://trimboli.name
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