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Klingon Grammar Addenda

Key: Spoken by Okrand | Inferred from canon | Accepted usage

5. Other kinds of words

5.2 Numbers
  1. Most quantity words appear to behave like numbers and come before the noun: Hoch X (Note: Hoch X plus singular noun = "each X"; plus plural noun = "all the Xs") [HQ v5n2p11], 'op X "some Xs" [S7], latlh X "(an)other X/Xs" [S31], bID X "half an X, a half X" [BOP]
    Commentary

  2. When Hoch follows the noun, it appears to refer to the entirety of the noun, eg nIn Hoch natlhlu'pu' "All the fuel is used up" [KGT p. 155]

  3. The quantity word HochHom appears to come after the noun [S15]
    Commentary

  4. Number phrases with vatlhvI' are considered numbers and come before the noun, eg. cha'maH vagh vatlhvI' Hong "One quarter impulse power". [ ST5; KLI: S. Boozer, 5/21/99, Re: vatlhvI']

  5. Type 5 noun suffixes come after a noun + ordinal number or noun + number label phrase: Duj wejDIchDaq "In the third ship"; Duj wejDaq "in Ship No. 3" [HQ v5n1p17]

5.4 Adverbials

  1. One can use -Ha' to form the opposite of some adverbs, eg. Do'Ha' [HQ v4n4p11; KGT, p. 148]

  2. Time stamps simply come at the head of the sentence, and require no special marking. They can be combined to convey more precise times, eg. DISvam "this year", wej Hu' "3 days ago", DaHjaj po "this morning" [MSN, 6/30/97]

  3. Duration stamps must be rendered by verb phrases, eg. qaStaHvIS wej rep "for three hours", nI'taHvIS poH "for a long time" [KLI: D. Trimboli, 11/5/98, Re: KLBC yu'wI'; KLI: M. Shoulson, 7/28/97, Re: KLBC + And now, the news]

  4. Ordinals may be used as a kind of time stamp indicating number of distinct events, eg. wa'DIch tlhIngan Dujmey luleghlu'pu'bogh... "Klingon ships seen for the first time..." [S15]
    Commentary

5.6 Names and address

  1. Names can be stated in a couple of ways: X-vaD Y ponglu' "X is called Y" [S27]; and X 'oH pongwIj'e' "X is my name" [FAQ]
    Commentary

  2. The full form of address for a Klingon is worIv, mogh puqloD, martaq tuq "Worf, son of Mog, of the House of Martok". Except in the most formal circumstances, it is proper to address a Klingon by the first name only. [KGT p.197; MSN, 9/8/97]

  3. Titles follow names, eg. tlha'a HoD "Captain Klaa" [KGT p.5]

  4. Geographical regions seem to follow this same formula, eg. Sa'Qej Sep "Sakrej Region" [KGT, p.16]

© 1999 Terrence Donnelly

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