tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Aug 06 21:14:15 1996
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Re: petaQ
> > -mey plural of persons is allowed but implies "scattered". Perhaps
> {petaQmey}
> > rather than {petaQpu'} used of people adds to the contemptuousness.
>
> I used to think this, but I eventually decided against it. If the person you
> are insulting is so low that you don't consider him capable of using
> language, then there is no honor or point to insulting him. If there's no
> honor, then you should acknowledge the cleverness of the person with {-pu'},
> and if there's no point, then why bother using a semi-poetic form of insult?
I disagree. Using -mey when talking about a group of people with petaQ would
imply that they are 'lower than the belly of a snake crawling across the
desert' kind of thing. You are using it SPECIFICALLY to demoralize them.
Besides, how do we know that a petaQ IS a language speaking thing? There has
never been anything to suggest that. I think it would be comparable to being
called a jackass, or some other type of 'stupid' Ha'DIbah.
> I think the point is, if you misuse the plural suffixes accidentally, you
> will probably offend someone. If you do it intentionally, people will
> probably think, "Is that the best comeback he could think of?"
I disagree with this point also. It is a display of knowledge of the language
by using word constructs in this manner, as was pointed out by one of the
Klingon tapes, I believe, although exactly which one escapes me at the moment.
Q'voq