tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Dec 17 14:15:20 1996

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Re: parmaq (par'mach) - oh, it *IS* canon, eh?

>I offer you congratulations....
qatlho'. [Thank you]

>... a minor correction, and a stern warning not to get cocky.
uh, qatlho'be' - no thanks.

>There's are several distinct differences between charghwI''s recasting
>of "which" questions as commands and your earlier insistence that
>"Par'Mach" or *{parmach} is the canonically correct noun for "love".

I did not say that.  I said 1) it was a canonical word, 2)
it meant "love, with aggresive overtones", and 3)we don't really 
know if it is a verb or noun or both.

>From Okrand's posting on MSN,it appears to be 1) it is a canonical word, 2) it
does mean "love, with aggresive overtones", and 
3)we don't really know if it is a verb or noun or both.

I never addressed the spelling, using  it as given, since we don't
know from what Klingon dialect it comes (although I speculated on
its origin as being made up of par and mach).  Others speculated
on spelling, and attempted to make it conform to known tlhIngan
Hol orthography.

>I think the most important difference is that {nuH yIwIv} uses correct
>grammar and vocabulary, and always has, and has always had a meaning 
>which can be understood. 

Oh, yes, a grammar and vocabulary understood by a *VAST* number of
tlhIngan speakers.

> Back in October, *{parmach} was not listed 
>anywhere, and only people who happened to catch the DS9 episode or who
>were following this group would have any idea what it meant.

Hmmm "People on this list AND who have studied Klingon", and "People
who watch Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" - I wonder which is a larger
group?  I wonder if they intersect at all?   

I WOULD have guessed that everyone who saw/heard the word in use would
understand what it means.  (Especially the line where Dax said
"it means love, but with more aggressive overtones"). (okay, people
who understand English, who caught the episode).

I appreciate Okrand's (rather more healthy, IMHO) response to the 
DS9 episode, namely to use the wacko-klingon used in DS9 as an
opportunity. "Ah, a new word we can use!".  [those so inclined may
feel free to insert the obligatory canned "But, but, ONLY Okrand can
create new words" here. While you are free to think so, I don't believe he
wrote or consulted on this episode.]




 joel anderson * [email protected] * [email protected]
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