and I ask again..

"..However, if one of the meanings given by the {-wI'} is "thing which does/is", then why not translate {ghelwI'} as "thing which asks"/"thing which is asking" i.e. a question ?.."

qunnoq

On Sep 5, 2017 16:02, "Lieven" <levinius@gmx.de> wrote:
Am 05.09.2017 um 14:32 schrieb mayqel qunenoS:
Would you accept the word {ghelwI'} for "question" ?

Am 05.09.2017 um 14:47 schrieb André Müller:
> No. I would understand it as a person who is asking.

Exactly. Same for {jangwI'}.

> But I've always been struggling a bit when in need for a word meaning
> 'question'. The best I could come up with is: {mu'tlhegh ghellu'bogh},
> lit. 'sentence that someone asks'.

And even in this case, it sounds like somebody is stating a question TO the sentence, so expecting the sentence to give an answer.

You "ask" a person, not a phrase.

If you insist using a noun phrase, I sugest turing that around, i.e. {ghelbogh mu'tlhegh} "asking sentence".

> It's better to find another expression, perhaps only
> involving the verb {ghel} 'to ask'.

Yes, indeed. Klingon is action-related.

Don't say "I have a question", but say "I want to ask". There is nothing wrong with that, and it usually works: {jIghel vIneH}.

--
Lieven L. Litaer
aka Quvar valer 'utlh
Grammarian of the KLI
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