tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sat Feb 10 00:39:29 1996
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Re: KLBC - Two words for 'warrior' ?
According to Alan Anderson:
>
> HetaQ writes:
> >The dictionary gives two words for 'warrior': SuvwI' and vaj
>
> There's an interesting bit of real-life history here. In the movie
> _Star Trek V: The Final Frontier_, Klaa speaks the line {vaj toD
> DujDaj ngeHbej DIvI'} "So the Federation will certainly send a rescue
> ship." A short time later, he says {vaj toDuj Daj ngeHbej DI vI'}
> "Shooting space garbage is no test of a warrior's mettle." But the
> film is a second take of the first line! Every word in the second
> version of the sentence appears only in TKD's addendum; Okrand did
> a remarkable job of fitting the syllables to the other meaning.
He pulled off the same trick in the third movie on the two
lines "Target engines only," and "I wanted prisoners." These
two lines are two different takes of the same line. There were
two takes because Christopher Lloyd forgot the first word or
two when they shot it first, and after they finished filming,
they decided that they needed another line to explain WHY he
wanted his gunner to target engines only, so they took the
blown line and gave it the other subtitle. That's how {-pu'}
got to be a plural suffix. Ever notice that {qama'pu'} looks a
lot like a verb? I suspect that verb previously had a different
meaning and Okrand took the opportunity to show that he had
"accomodated" the producer...
> >What is the difference in usage? Under what circumstances would I
> >use SuvwI' and when would I use vaj?
>
> {SuvwI'} is used when you mean "warrior"; {vaj} is used when someone
> changes the meaning of your sentence without your permission. :-)
jIHaghqu'! And you use the {rIntaH} construction when somebody
films a line in English, redubs it into Klingon and you have to
give the lips a reason to keep moving...
> Because {SuvwI'} is distinct and easy to read, I would use {vaj} only
> when I didn't mind my sentence being more ambiguous. (See below).
>
> -- ghunchu'wI' batlh Suvchugh vaj batlh SovchoH vaj
charghwI'
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