tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Oct 08 08:50:03 1998
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
Age before Wisdom
>
> ja' ghunchu'wI';
> > I could really use a good way to express "wise" as opposed to
> "intelligent."
>
> ghunchu'wI' is looking for a way to express the qualitative difference
> between "intelligent" and "wise", which are both lumped under the Klingon
> word <val>. Intelligence and wisdom are not the same thing, although they
are
> closely related.
Perhaps to some humans. We have no idea whether Klingons share this
distinction. <val > "be clever, be smart, be intelligent" has only been used
just once by Okrand:
val; Huy' rur
clever as an eyebrow (KGT)
whatever that means. <val> may also be an element in the name <valQIS>
"Valkris" (ST3).
BTW, other options are <'ong> "be cunning, be sly" and <po'> "be expert, be
skilled" (cf. <'um> "be qualified").
>
> Personally, I like ghunchu'wI''s idea of <val; qup rur>. It seems perfect to
> me.
>
> pagh
So do I -- if age is your criterion for wisdom. Whether it's the Klingons' is
another matter. We do know that Klingon warriors don't value age per se:
SuvwI'pu' qan tu'lu'be'
There are no old warriors. (TKW)
On the other hand:
qanchoHpa' qoH, Hegh qoH
Fools die young. (TKW)
Another thought: Does <qup> "elder" only refer to chronological age (<qan>
"be
old [not young]"), or is it some sort of, possibly hereditary, rank or
position
within the Klingon ruling class as it is in many Terran cultures? Is <quprIp>
"Council of Elders" another name for <yejquv> "The High Council" -- if so,
both
Duras and Kurn seem fairly young to have been members, but they did belong to
high-ranking Houses -- or does it refer to some older body? Perhaps an
advisory group within a Great House (<tuq>)? I don't know, but I imagine
Maltz
does. In any event, we should be careful of applying one culture's attitudes
to another -- alien -- one.
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons