tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Jan 15 09:55:49 2003
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Re: KLBC
knera:
> >> Okay, i'm just trying to translate basic everyday phrases that I use
> >> into english and am having trouble with How are you? I've decided i
> >> could use How is your health, but can't find health. Could i use "pIv"
> >> (healthy) for this or is there some other way of asking How are you?
There is no standard way to say this, because
Unlike most speakers of English, who begin conversations with greetings,
inquiries about the state of health of the conversants, and remarks about
the weather, Klingons tend to begin conversations by simply stating the
main points. (TKD, 10)
Quvar:
> > I think that in klingon, one would not say such a general question like
> > How are you?", the Klingon language is more direct and context related.
> > My suggestions for "How are you" are: are you healthy? are you sick? are
> > you sad? are you..., does everything work? ...
knera:
>in this case it was asking more along the lines of someone's physical
>condition, or their health, I just wasn't sure if health and healthy were
>the same thing. So if I said "chay' bIQoy'a'?" (How is your health?) would
>that be right?
1) {chay' bIQoy'a'} is a bit redundant, meaning something like "How, do you
hear?" or "Do you hear how?"
If you use a question word like {chay'} "how", {nuqDaq} "where", {qatlh}
"why", etc., you don't need to put the interrogative suffix {-'a'} on the
verb. It's used only for yes or no questions. E.g.:
bIQoy
You hear.
chay' bIQoy?
How do you hear?
bIQoy'a'?
Do you hear?
and using the object prefixes:
qaQoy'a'?
Do I hear you?
choQoy'a'?
Do you hear me?
2) However, {Qoy} "hear" is the wrong verb. (I think your eye slipped down
a line when you looked up "healthy, be healthy" in the TKD glossary. On
the list we call this a "look up error", and even Okrand has done it a
couple of times.) You want {pIv}:
bIpIv.
You are healthy. [Statement.]
bIpIv'a'?
Are you healthy? [Yes or no question.]
chay' bIpIv?
How are you healthy? [Request for details.]
This last is probably the closest we can get to asking "How is your
health?" It sounds a bit awkward in English, but it seems fine in Klingon
(at least, it does to me!).
We also have the verbs {pIvHa'} "be unhealthy":
bIpIvHa'law'
You look terrible (You seem unhealthy). TKD
{rop} "be sick, be ill" and {rIQ} "be injured". So we can ask:
bIpIvHa''a'?
Are you unhealthy? [i.e. Are you unwell?]
bIrop'a'?
Are you sick?
bIrIQ'a'?
Are you injured?
> > The other possibility would be a command, telling the partner to describe
> > "how he is": Describe your mind's status! ... your body's status!
Although there's no noun for "health" we do have {rop} "disease, sickness"
and {QID} "wound", so we can also demand that you:
roplIj yIDel!
Describe your sickness!
QIDlIj yIDel!
Describe your wound!
Note that to a Klingon none of the above would be considered polite
conversation or small talk, but legitimate tactical questions: Are you
well enough to participate in the attack? Can you keep fighting? Do you
require medical assistance? etc.
bIpIvtaH! (Stay healthy!)
--
Voragh "Damage control is easy. Reading Klingon
- that's
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons hard!" (Montgomery
Scott, STIV)