tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Jul 14 20:43:49 1998
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Re: nuqneH as greeting
- From: "David Trimboli" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: nuqneH as greeting
- Date: Tue, 14 Jul 1998 14:59:41 -0400
From: Anthony Appleyard <[email protected]>
> ghItlh Steven Boozer <[email protected]>:-
>"It is not infrequent to hear nonnative speakers of Klingon use nuqneH
"what
>do you want?" as if it meant "hello" or the like in exchanges such as:
> Speaker #1: nuqneH (see (1))
> Speaker #2: nuqneH (see (2))
>No one steeped in Klingon culture would do this, however (except in some
sort
>of a joking context, perhaps). To begin a conversation, just start! ...
>
> (1) But people can't simply `just start'. Greetings aren't simply for
>politeness. I know by too much experience that #1 needs to say <some> sort
of
>call-attention word to get #2's attention, else #2 loses much of the start
of
>what the speaker said. Else #1 would get sick of being asked to repeat what
he
>said. This can get wearisome: HochHom vIjatlhpu'bogh vIjatlhqa' 'e' neHtaH
>SoSwI' 'e' rur.
Please, please, PLEASE stop using {-'e'} with {neH}, and stop putting aspect
suffixes on the second sentence! You keep doing this, and it's driving me
crazy! :)
Sure, they can just start. Let's take an example:
***
tach 'ej tlhIngan. HIvje'mey Say'moHtaH chom. chom 'emDaq ba' tlhIngan,
vaj tlhIngan leghbe' chom.
jatlh tlhIngan <pubtaHbogh ghargh HIq vItlhutlh!>
tlhIngan leghmeH tlhe' chom. jang <cha' DarSeq>.
***
Or how about another example:
***
vaS'a'Daq ghomchuq cha' be' 'e' lunab. pawDI' be' wa'DIch, 'eq 'e' tu'.
be' cha'DIch loSchoH. loStaHvIS, De'wI'HomDaj chu'; bom qonlI'bogh HaD.
tugh paw be' cha'DIch. jupDaj legh, vaj chol. ghel be' cha'DIch <bomlIj
Daqonchu'ta''a', chaj?>
bom buSchu'mo' be' wa'DIch, jupDaj Qoybe'.
jach be' cha'DIch <qIm! bomlIj Daqonchu'ta''a'?>
***
> (2) #1 knows what he was going to ask or tell #2 about. #2 does not know
at
>the start. So in reply #2 must ask {nuqneH?}, in its literal meaning, to
tell
>#1 that he is listening.
If it is being literal, then {nuq DaneH} is appropriate. {nuqneH} is only a
greeting, and only to be used when you're waiting for someone to start
speaking. More than just "whaddyawant?" it means "Get on with it!"
SuStel
Stardate 98534.7