tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Dec 16 12:16:07 2003

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Re: Klingon WOTD: vu'wI' (n)

Steven Boozer ([email protected]) [KLI Member] 

Voragh:
> >>   {Qu' vu'wI' yaH}
> >>   Mission Ops (Star Trek Communicator)
> >
> > I've nothing to add, except that I've always translated {Qu' vu'wI'} -
> > literally "mission manager" - as "operations officer".  Not exactly sure
> > what a {Qu' vu'wI'} does in Trek:  perhaps monitor boarding parties
> > {tIjwI'ghom}, landing parties {Saqghom }, and shuttle craft {lupDujHom}
> > missions (in case they need assistance at a moment's notice)?

...Paul:
>So, my question comes up, can I refer to my manager at work as /vu'wI'/ or
>does /vu'wI'/ have a connotation as something that is not a sentient
>being?

Why would you assume this?  The ST Communicator example clearly refers to 
the work station {yaH} for a person.  (In fact, a quick check of canonical 
examples of {-wI'} nouns shows that most refer to people.)

>Being Klingon, perhaps a person would not be a /vu'wI'/, but would
>rather be a /la'/ or /ra'wI'/...?

For all we know, {vu'wI'} may also have the unpleasant connotations of 
"foreman", "steward" or "overseer" instead of the more benign-sounding 
"manager".

>Or is it a context thing, such as in English, where a "translator" could
>be a person or device?

This is true in Klingon for all derived nouns in {-wI'} which makes it an 
equivalent to the English suffix -er/-or.  I imagine that through usage and 
custom - as in English - some of these became associated with things (e.g. 
computer {De'wI'}, cloaking device {So'wI'}, trigger {chu'wI'}) and others 
with people {e.g. warrior {SuvwI'}, leader {DevwI'}, cook {vutwI'}).  Of 
course, the other interpretation is also theoretically possible for each of 
these allowing for a bit of word play; a {vutwI'} could in the right 
context also mean a "cooker" (i.e. a stove, microwave oven or similar 
device) and {So'wI'} and {chu'wI'} have long been used here on the List to 
mean "lurker" and "newbie" respectively.

But if you're not sure which word to use at work, call your manager {pIn} 
"boss".



-- 
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons

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