tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Feb 14 13:15:11 1996

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Re: KLBC:fractions & directions

> 

> >N.E.S.W. ie compas directions:
> 
> >Where a planet has a magnetic field could we use...
> 
> >NORTH      peQ chemlurgh
> >SOUTH      peq chemlurghDoH
> >EAST       nIHpeQ chemlurgh
> >WEST       poSpeq chemlurgh
> 
> You're compounding a verb (DoH) onto a noun; there's no evidence you can do
> that in general.  Besides, last I looked magnetism flowed as much south as
> it did north; the business about one being forward and one backward is
> completely arbitrary; why should Klingons have picked the same way?
>

Why indeed.  Here on earth there are cultures which don't accept 
north as the "forward direction."  Chinese orders things south, 
north, west & east.  In fact the ideograph for north is a picture of 
two people facing back to back with the idea that if one is faceing 
south, as he naturally should be, the other looks north!

Qapla'

mu'vaj.

 
> Your east and west have another problem.  In Klingon Noun-noun
> constructions, the *first* noun modifies the *second*, not the other way
> 'round.  And that's true, so far as we can tell, in compounds as well.  So
> "nIHpeQ chemlurgh" is something like "right-hand magnetism's
> field-direction"  As opposed to magnetism that's somehow left-handed.
> Probably put the the nIH and poS at the end, to indicate the magnetism's
> directions right and left sides.
> 
> >if there is no magnetic field - borrowed from Larry Niven...
> 
> >SPINWARD   DIngDaq
> >ANTI-SPINWARD  DIngDaqDoH
> 
> >using poS & nIH for left and right of spinward ?
> 
> Wouldn't trust the magnetic field anyway; the usual definition of
> north/south in astronomy depends on rotation (most planets rotate): the
> rotation is clockwise around the south pole.
> 
> Note the same problem with "DoH", and that you're now putting a noun-suffix
> (-Daq) onto a verb (DIng).  Sorry, this just doesn't work out for me at
> all.  There may be ways you can make grammatical constructions that get the
> meaning across, but I doubt they'll be very neat.
> 
> >QUESTION:
> >In the above NORTH & SOUTH feel ok but would you split the magnetic field. ie...
> 
> >peQ nIHchemlurgh
> 
> Um... magnetism's right-hand-side's field's direction.
> 
> >or even...
> 
> >peQ chemlurghnIH ?
> 
> magnetism's field's direction's right-hand-side... closer.
> 
> 
> ~mark
> 
> 
>

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