tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Mar 06 15:09:49 1997

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RE: KLBC: New words -- magic, magician

jatlh T'Lark:

(Wait a minute!  You've named yourself after a traitorous Klingon from the 
CD-Rom!)

> ghItlh Jim LeMaster:
> > [...] I challenge all my doubters [...] to give me a translation for 
Clark's
> Theorem [...]
> 
> Not every language has a single, simple word for every concept.  If I had to
> quote Clarke's Law to a Klingon, I would define a word from DIvI' Hol and 
then
> use that.

If the Klingons generally don't believe in magic in the same sense that we 
tend to, then this is the way to go!  We don't know this, but this approach 
has other benefits, like not having to guess what you're trying to say.  It 
does, of course, require a knowledge of the English word.

> wanI'mey SeHlu'meH qa' Dep qa' HoS ghap lura'lu'chugh, <magic> lo'lu'.

Well, to say "nonhumanoid's spirit," you say {Dep qa'}, not {qa' Dep}.  
Remember, {Dep} is a noun, not a verb.

You've said, "In order that one controls events, if one has either a 
nonhumanoid's spirit or a strong spirit, one uses magic."

I'm not quite sure *why* you said this, if this is what you meant.

> ({-law'}, {-Hey} and {-qoq} can be added as necessary to convey one's degree 
of
> scepticism on the subject.)
> 
> jatlh <Clarke's Law>: 'Itlhqu'chugh jan, vaj <magic> rurchu'.

maj.

-- 
SuStel
Beginners' Grammarian
Stardate 97177.9

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