tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed May 06 09:15:17 1998
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Re: MO about fork and spoon
- From: "William H. Martin" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: MO about fork and spoon
- Date: Wed, 6 May 1998 12:15:14 -0400 (EDT)
- In-Reply-To: <[email protected]> from "Steven Boozer" at May 6, 98 08:31:25 am
According to Steven Boozer:
>
> : > >>From: "Marc Okrand" <[email protected]>
> : > >>[...]
> : > >>The Klingon word for "spoon" is {baghneQ}. Even though
> : > >>spoons were never typically used when eating, the word
> : > >>appears to have been in the language for a long time,
> : > >>suggesting that it may once have meant something else. One
> : > >>theory is that it comes from {nagh beQ} "flat stone, flat
> : > >>rock" and that the initial sounds of the two words, {n} and
> : > >>{b}, were, for some reason, transposed. This is, however,
> : > >>just speculation.
> : >
> : > Oh. My. Goodness. He's gone and done it again. Transposing the
> : > initial sounds of the word for "spoon" indeed... aaarrrggghh!
> :
> : > -- ghunchu'wI'
> :
> : It's quite possible that I would never have caught that if you hadn't
> : pointed it out. That's fabulous! I *actually* laughed out loud!
> :
> : You must admit, the fact that Okrand gets such obvious joy out of toying
> : with us like this really does make it fun. {{:)
> :
> : --Holtej
>
> ghay'cha'! qIDDaj DaQIj 'e' vItlhob.
>
> It may be because I haven't had my qa'vIn this morning, but I just don't get
> it. Is this a reference to some brand name of cutlery?
>
> Voragh
Perhaps Qov's post already explained this for you or maybe you
don't know what a spoonerism is. Most dictionaries will tell
you. As I remember, Rev. Spooner's most famous example was
"Someone is occupewing my pie," which is, in fact, not quite a
spoonerism as we now know them. A better example is "You hissed
the mystery lesson." or baghneQ, apparently...
charghwI'