tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Oct 21 12:41:37 1996
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Re: Par'Mach???
- From: Alan Anderson <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: Par'Mach???
- Date: Mon, 21 Oct 96 14:21:52 EST
I've not yet seen the episode in question, but...
joel anderson writes:
>Par'Mach is NOT a Ferengi word, and if you'll forgive
>the odd look of it, it seems as good as our standby
>for love "muSHa'". To me, it is an ironic construction
>(yes, a compound verb, something we've never seen before,
>right?) "dislike" (par) + "be little" (mach).
nuqjatlh jay'? A never-before-seen "compound verb" seems as good as a
straightforward verb+suffix?! I must disagree. Very strongly.
What would such a compound verb mean in general, anyway? Do both
things simultaneously? "Dislike and be little"? [Sounds like a
grouchy Ferengi to me.] Worse, though, is that this so-called verb
seems from context to have been used as a *noun*. wejpuH.
>To beat my canon-drum, once again, like it or not, it
>IS a canonical word.
It's canonical *Star Trek*. It's not canonical tlhIngan Hol, and
should not interfere with our study and use of the language. We
simply can't manage to incorporate *every* semi-random combination of
phonemes from an actor's mouth into the language we are considering.
If it's obviously incorrect, we can and should disregard it. We even
disregard otherwise undeniably canon sources when they are blatantly
wrong; see the spelling of the verb suffix {-'egh} in TKD, or the
translation of 12:00 noon in PK.
Quantum torpedoes and verteron particles and sonalogen-based lifeforms
inhabiting tertiary subspace manifolds are also canonical Star Trek,
but they neither add to nor interfere with real science. Like it or
not, tlhIngan Hol as a real constructed language exists with or
without Star Trek to support it -- or to interfere with it, as the
case may be.
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qo'mey poSmoH Hol -- language opens worlds