tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sat Jun 15 09:13:01 1996

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Re: To Greet or Not

Ok, first I just want to say that with school over for now, it feels good to be 
back to the list!  I haven't emailed in a century, but I think this will change.
I would like to jump in to this discussion because I have never seen as big an 
'argument' since 'double object verbs'.

First, about the newbies.  Newbies should not *ever* be treated rudely.  I don't 
care if you are being treating them rudely because you are klingon because, 
well, your not.  I mean, the KLI is here to help people who are enthusiastic 
about the Klingon language, not to shun these people away because they 
*miss-used* a word.  When I was a newbie, I was treated very, very well by 
people like charghwI' and ghunchuwI' (Alan Anderson.  Is he not the beginners 
grammarian anymore? boy I've been gone long...).  If anything, I was rude to 
him.

Second, about {nuqneH}.  I never used {nuqneH} as a greeting, nor did I condem 
any one for doing so.  I must agree with Alan in saying that it is a very valid 
use of the word for someone who is beginning.  In my opinion, however, it is the 
wrong use of the word to begin a message.  {nuqneH} means 'What do you want?' 
not 'Hello!'.  Do you ever go up to someone and say 'What do you want?' if they 
have not sone anything to you, or have no desire to talk to you?  When you go to 
a restaurant do you say to the matre'd (or whatever) 'What do you want?' when it 
is his restaurant you are entering.  To me, {nuqneH} is a *response* to a 
greeting, i.e. if *I* was the matre'd and I was a Klingon and some human came up 
to me and said 'Hello! Lovely day isn't it...I've always wanted to dine here!', 
then I would say {nuqneH} or 'What the hell do you want? Get to the 
point!'...this could be interpreted as a greeting.  The only other place where I 
can see nuqneH being used, and here more a greeting than the other, is if I 
answered the phone with a 'What do you want?'.  Here it is a greeting, as in you 
starting the conversation, but it is also a response because you are *being* 
called.  Picture Picard trying to sweet talk someone like {Qugh} as he does 
those damned Romulans...Qugh would probably say {nuqneH} (as in get to the 
point) or kill him.

Finally, someone brought up the point of a cultureless KLI.  First I am not 
American, I am Brazillian and proud of it, and second many users of this list 
are not either.  Because you may live in a more culturally diverse area, some 
may not...so give them a break ok?

Qapla'

-chIya'ghu
Thiago Miranda

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