tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Nov 17 02:23:06 1997

Back to archive top level

To this year's listing

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]

Time to call the {ghoS}tbusters?

  [Time to call the {ghoS}tbusters]
  In the course of writing briefly in Klingon about a storm at sea recently I
ran into an ambiguity. For "of a ship, to travel" the word seems to be
{ghoS}, which TKD defines as (1) "approach", (2) "go from", (3) "proceed",
(4) "follow course", (5) "thrust". This all-too-inclusive portmanteau word
for travelling seems to be to be liable to ambiguities.

  (A) The Chambers Dictionary of (5) as a verb seems to centre on "move
forward against resistance by pushing obstacles aside or back". This is
different from simple unopposed movement as in (3) etc.

  (B) TKD lists three transitive meanings, i.e. that {X ghoS} could mean (1)
"he approaches X", (2) "he goes from X", (4) "he follows the course X".
  Of these, (2) clashes seriously with (1) and (4). I feel that meaning (2)
should be deleted, and "he goes from X" translated as {Xvo' ghoS}.
  (1) and (4) clash if X is a possible route and also a possible place, as in
{<Gulf of Aqaba> ghoS Duj} in my storm at sea message. OK, this ambiguity did
not arise much in Okrand's experience where spaceships' courses were almost
invariably either number-mark-number through empty space or towards a star
system. But here on Earth how to tell whether {Langton Road ghoS} means "he
goes towards Langton Road" or "he goes along Langton Road"? I suppose that IF
he is at L.R. before, THEN {ghoS} = "go along", ELSE {ghoS} = "go towards".
But that is confusing and relies on the reader / hearer knowing beforehand
whether the subject of {ghoS} was at L.R. before, which isn't always so.
  Translating (1) as {XDaq ghoS} to distinguish from (4) causes ambiguity
between "he goes [all the way] to X" and "he goes [part of the way] towards X
[but does not intend to reach the place X]", e.g. obeying {HotlhwI' HuDDaq
yIghoS} "go to Scanner Hill" instead of {HotlhwI' HuD yIghoS} "go towards
Scanner Hill" would end up with the ship ripping its bottom out on the rocks
offshore from {HotlhwI' HuD qoj} instead of going the intended distance and
stopping safely away at sea.
  We need different words for "go to" and "go towards" and "go along". I don't
trust context to sort out all ambiguities. It is not wise to rely on Miss
Context to be the only receptionist keeping out all such undesirables.

Back to archive top level