<p>I think it depends on the context. If it is "I can see bears and metal drums", then you would have to repeat the subject and verb, effectively saying "I can see bears and I can see metal drums".</p>

<p>As per The Klingon Dictionary (6.2, <em>Complex Sentences</em>): </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>When the subject of both the joined sentences is the same, the English translation may be reduced to a less choppy form, but Klingon does not allow this shortening.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>If you are just talking about lists of items without having a complex sentence, then I would think this sentence from 5.3 (<em>Conjunctions</em>) applies (even though it is about the post-verbal meaning of <em>je</em>):</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>As in English, the meaning of such sentences is ambiguous: [..] The exact meaning is determined by context.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>If there are bears and metal drums, then presumably you're not talking about bears, metal, and drums. An oft-quoted example where there is an ambiguity in English is <em>I am dedicating this work to my parents, the Queen of England and the Archbishop of Canterbury</em>. Without a comma before <em>and</em>, the list could be mistaken for an apposition. Obviously, the context makes this interpretation highly unlikely!</p>

<p>Just remember that language is rarely unambiguous and independent of context; any attempts to avoid this make it very unwieldy. Which is why legal language is typically so hard to read.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-01T13:52:25.593Z
2019-08-01T13:52:25.593Z
Oliver Mason
<p>Concerning compound subjects and such, I'm not exactly sure how lists of nouns work exactly, especially with three or more items. How would "bears and metal drums" be distinguished from "bears, metal, and drums"? Wouldn't both be <code>mIl'oDmey baS 'Inmey je</code>?</p>

<p><em>The Klingon Dictionary</em> says that <code>je</code> follows two or more nouns, so I wouldn't think you use multiple, and I've only seen commas used in dependent clauses. Is there a way to clarify your meaning?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-29T18:41:41.550Z
You might want to visit the [Klingon Language Institute](https://www,kli.org), who maintain much material on the tlhIngan-Hol. Among their resources, they maintain a mailing list where one may discuss anything in tlhIngan-Hol, or tlhIngan-Hol in English.
Jeff Zeitlin
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-01T18:21:07.677Z
@curiousdannii Klingon should be formatted as code as it uses both the uppercase `I` and the lowercase `l`, which are indistinguishable in sans serif fonts.
Ullallulloo
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-02T01:30:31.627Z
@Ullallulloo You should post this as a bug report in [Meta] so that we can request a different font.
curiousdannii
<klingon>
How do lists of three or more items work in Klingon?
# How do lists of three or more items work in Klingon?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-07-27)

Concerning compound subjects and such, I'm not exactly sure how lists of nouns work exactly, especially with three or more items. How would "bears and metal drums" be distinguished from "bears, metal, and drums"? Wouldn't both be `mIl'oDmey baS 'Inmey je`?

*The Klingon Dictionary* says that `je` follows two or more nouns, so I wouldn't think you use multiple, and I've only seen commas used in dependent clauses. Is there a way to clarify your meaning?

**Tags:** klingon
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: You might want to visit the [Klingon Language Institute](https://www,kli.org), who maintain much material on the tlhIngan-Hol. Among their resources, they maintain a mailing list where one may discuss anything in tlhIngan-Hol, or tlhIngan-Hol in English.  
> **username_0**: @curiousdannii Klingon should be formatted as code as it uses both the uppercase `I` and the lowercase `l`, which are indistinguishable in sans serif fonts.  
> **username_2**: @Ullallulloo You should post this as a bug report in [Meta] so that we can request a different font.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2019-08-01. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

I think it depends on the context. If it is "I can see bears and metal drums", then you would have to repeat the subject and verb, effectively saying "I can see bears and I can see metal drums".

As per The Klingon Dictionary (6.2, *Complex Sentences*):

> When the subject of both the joined sentences is the same, the English translation may be reduced to a less choppy form, but Klingon does not allow this shortening.

If you are just talking about lists of items without having a complex sentence, then I would think this sentence from 5.3 (*Conjunctions*) applies (even though it is about the post-verbal meaning of *je*):

> As in English, the meaning of such sentences is ambiguous: [..] The exact meaning is determined by context.

If there are bears and metal drums, then presumably you're not talking about bears, metal, and drums. An oft-quoted example where there is an ambiguity in English is *I am dedicating this work to my parents, the Queen of England and the Archbishop of Canterbury*. Without a comma before *and*, the list could be mistaken for an apposition. Obviously, the context makes this interpretation highly unlikely!

Just remember that language is rarely unambiguous and independent of context; any attempts to avoid this make it very unwieldy. Which is why legal language is typically so hard to read.


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