tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Apr 30 09:33:35 1998

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RE: yeesh. right. wrong. jISaHbe'! (was Re: Correct me if I'm wrong but..)

: On Thu, 30 Apr 1998, Holtej wrote:
: >> When I call our new puppy "he" rather than "it", when I speak to him, and
: >> "interact" as if he understood, I convey my high estimation of or hopes
: >> for his intelligence. If I were to call a group of warriors SuvwI'mey
: >> (assuming I had a clue and a bucket to carry it in) I convey my low regard
: >> for them.
: > 
: > No, all you would convey is the fact that they are scattered all about.
: > There's nothing derogatory about that.  I believe the only derogatory
: > inference comes about with the possessive suffixes, not the plural ones.
: > So, /SoSlIj/ is derogatory, /SoSmey/ is not.
: 
: So suvwI'-mey/pu' was a bad example - yours is better, of course. -mey is
: just the general plural (with -Du' for body parts and -pu' for the
: language capable).  As you note -mey on "people"s (like children) means
: they are scattered about.  I suppose you could insult a commander and her
: company by referring to her soldiers as : SuvwI'pu'lIj ... 
: 
: joel anderson 

"[{-pu'}] can be used to indicate plurality for Klingons, Terrans, Romulans,
Vulcans, and so on, but not for lower animals of any kind, plants, inanimate
objects, electromagnetic or other beams or waves, etc." (TKD 22) 

"The suffix {-pu'} is used only to form the plural of *beings* that can use
language. A single Klingon is {tlhIngan}. Two or more Klingons is
{tlhInganpu'} ... Two or more Terrans is {tera'nganpu'}." (CK, emphasis added)

"It is grammatically correct to use the regular possessive suffixes with
nouns referring to beings capable of speech (as in {puqlIj} `your child'),
but such constructions are considered derogatory; {joHwIj} for `my lord'
borders on taboo". (TKD 25)

"Addressing my Lord or my Lady as {joHwIj} rather than {joHwI'} is insulting
indeed, since it implies that my Lord or my Lady is a lower order of being.
Similarly, a group of heads of households would probably not appreciate
being referred to as {joHDu'}, since that would be the appropriate way to
say Lords or Ladies only if they were body parts. The only thing worse would
be combining mispronuncation with grammatical blundering, such as by saying
{joQDu'wIj} (my ribs) ... when {joHpu'wI'} (my Lords, my Ladies) is
intended. Mistakes of this kind are simply not tolerated and there are no
recorded instances of anyone living long enough to repeat the offense." (KGT
190) 

yIqIm, yIbuS!  Substituting {-mey} for {-pu'} may not necessarily be
derogatory -- depending on the Klingon you're addressing -- but using {-Du'}
inappropriately certainly is.  So, follow Worf's advice on CK: practice your
pronunciation and enunciate clearly.  

Voragh

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