tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Jan 11 08:51:54 1998

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Re: Unofficial words (Was: Re puqpu')

On Fri, 9 Jan 1998 19:31:42 -0800 (PST) Alan Anderson 
<[email protected]> wrote:

> qaD peHruS:
> >Meanwhile, I put onto my wish list, allowing you folks to submit ideas you can
> >construct from pre-existing canon words:
> 
> Most of these are trivial, and a few are already in either TKD or KGT.  I
> suspect I don't know what you mean by some of them.  Maybe you've got some
> context in mind; without it, I'm not likely to express what you wanted.

In general, I think this kind of extended definition without 
context is a really bad idea. Often they fall to what ~mark 
calls hind-sight words. Because you made up the word, it makes 
sense to you. You remember the thoughts you had when you made up 
the word and you can't unremember those thoughts to realize that 
a person without those memories won't have a clue what you are 
talking about.

Of course, it has been a point of fascination for peHruS for a 
long time and no matter how many times I assure you it is a bad 
idea, you will continue to come back with more and more examples 
of it. You need whole thoughts, not words.

> --
> 
> >gills (n)        - bIQ taghDu'.

Water doesn't have lungs. Most likely there is a noun for this 
and we just don't have it yet.

> >fins (n)         - bIQDep ghamHey, bIQDep lolSeHcha

That's one high-tech fish!

> >be curved (sv)   - SIH

If I said, {SIH 'etlhwIj}, would you think the blade was curved 
or damaged?

> >be straight (sv) - SIHbe'

If I said, {SIHbe' betleHwIj}, would you think I had one with a 
straight blade, or would you think I meant it had not been 
damaged?

> >reflect (v)      - ghoSHa'moH

I definitely think this is a hind-sight word. The English word 
can mean so many different things:

*reflect* Dochmey boch.
batlhlIj *reflects* vangtaHghachlIj.
pu'wIj tIH *reflects* yoDlIj.
qaSpu'bogh wanI'mey *reflects upon* HoD.
Are we speaking of something that is merely shiney, or something 
which displays a perfect image? Why not ask for mirror?

> >vibrate (v)      - nom joqtaH, yu'eghmey tlhuD, yu'egh Da

No self-respecting Klingon would use a vibrator. Likely in many 
contexts, he'd say {chuS}.

> >pressure (n/v)   - yuv, 'uy

What exactly is the verb for "pressure" in English?

> >wind up (v)      - Huj, rInmoHlI'

I wind up a clock.
I wind up without a girlfriend again.
I wind up the wench to tow my boat ashore.

> >wind around (v)  - I don't understand what this means in English.
>                     {qat} perhaps?

I wind around the curvy road.
I wind the anchor's chain around the mast.

> >saw for cutting (n), saws (v) - peghwI', Ho'Du'Hey ghajbogh taj

This assumes Klingons use saws. They might use extremely sharp, 
pressure driven wood slicers with no teeth. They might use 
lasers.

> >corner (n)       - Dop jej

Would it be the same word for the corner of a room and a corner 
of a table? (inside vs. outside).

> >sew (v); stitch (v); seam together (v) - tay'moHmeH SIrgh lo'
> >current (n)      - vIHtaHbogh bIQ

Is he talking about water or electricity?

> >pocket, pigeonhole, niche - DaqHom

One word for all these?

> >be slippery      - char
> >bead, droplet    - I don't know what you mean by putting these two together.
> >interval         - poH

Temporal, musical or otherwise?

> >flame            - qul
> >branch, twig, tributary - Pick one and I'll think about it.
> >ashes            - qul pugh
> >sperm            - This would take a paragraph to describe well.

And how did it make it on this list, anyway? Why not add 
"sesquipedalian" and "antepenultimate"? We could wish for 
"epistimology" and "existentialism". Why not include 
"quintessential" and "architypical"? I'm sure I could use a good 
term for the rubber used for my climbing shoes. And what about 
"carabiner"? How can we get by without "lag screw" and 
"carburetor"? 

I personally would like a verb to describe the intersection of 
the meanings of the English words "innocent" and "insensitive". 
Hell, I'd like THAT word in ENGLISH.

I'll stop my rant here. I think this whole approach to the 
language stinks. I respect ghunchu'wI' for trying to respond to 
a request, but as he has expressed his reservations about this, 
mine are far more severe.

pItlh.
> -- ghunchu'wI'
> 
> 

charghwI'

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