tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Dec 23 10:54:22 1998
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Re: [repost] - lutHom
Matt Johnson wrote:
: > <ya ra' HoD>
: > could well be wrong "The cap'n orders the tactical officer" because it
: > reeks of <qagh ra' HoD> "The cap'n orders *qagh*". There doesn't seem to
: > be any suitable example.
charghwI':
: The only example I know of the use of {ra'} is an
: odd new one where the direct object of {ra'} is {Dujvam}. That
: part of the example translates as "You command this ship". Since
: {ja'} has the person addressed as the direct object, it would
: not be unheard of to consider that the object of {ra'}, given
: the canon example of "command this ship", which more technically
: means to command the people who run the ship...
charghwI' is misremembering {Dujvam ra'wI'} "commander of this ship":
juDev 'ej Dujvam ra'wI' DagheS 'e' vItlhob
I ask you to lead us as commander of this ship (KGT p.183f)
("I request that you lead us and that you assume the duties of
commander of this ship.")
The verb {ra'} "order, command" has been used thus:
qara'DI'
as soon as I command you. TKD
cha yIbaH qara'DI' = qara'DI' cha yIbaH
Fire the torpedoes at my command. TKD
qara'pa'
before I command you TKD
chay' jura'
What are your orders? ("How do you command us?") TKD/ST6
ra' qarghan HoD
[(The IKS Pagh) is] under the command of Captain Kargan. S7
("Capt Kargan commands" or "Capt Kargan is in command".)
Think of {ra'} as meaning "issue orders to (someone), be in command (of)" in a
military sense and not as "order (something)" in a restaurant or store (for
which Klingons might use {poQ} "demand" for all we know). Don't confuse
English usage of "order" with the Klingon usage of {ra'}. As with any foreign
language, they won't overlap 100%.
Although, when you order food you are, in fact, issuing orders to the {jabwI'}
to bring you the item: {qagh ghoqem!}. Still, Klingons might well understand
{ra' qarghan HoD} when said in a restaurant to mean that Capt Kargan is the
maitre d' or the owner (ghajwI') - i.e. he commands the waiters - and not that
he's just ordering some dinner.
_________________________________________________________________________
Voragh "Grammatici certant et adhuc sub judice
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons lis est." Horace (Ars Poetica)