tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Apr 19 08:03:30 2004
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Re: Klingon WOTD: ngIb (excl)
>This is the Klingon Word Of The Day for Sunday, April 18, 2004.
>
>Klingon word: ngIb
>Definition: disapproval, deprecation
>Part of Speech: exclamation
It's not an exclamation; a derogatory epithet perhaps. Cf. KGT p. 166f.:
{yeb} ("wrist" [derogatory])
{ngIb} ("ankle" [derogatory])
The words referring to the joints at the ends of arms and legs have
slightly negative connotations. Likening a person or situation to
either is to say something unflattering. It is not uncommon,
therefore, to hear references to them in insults on the order of
{yeb Darur} ("You resemble a wrist") or {ngIb ghaH verengan'e'}
("The Ferengi is an ankle"). To say {SuvwI' yoH law' ngIb yoH puS}
("The warrior is braver than an ankle") is far from complimentary.
One theory as to the reason for this negative association is that
wrists and ankles, being joints, are flexible and pliant, while
being rigid--maintaining one's principles and goals against all
odds--is a virtue. A more likely scenario, however, is that the
meanings of the words were influenced by the distinctive speech
of the Krotmag region, which has been shown to be responsible for
some other common idioms and slang as speakers of other dialects
incorporate certain Krotmag pronunciations (see the chapter on
"The Fiction of Klingon Conformity", under "Pronunciation," pages
18-23). In the Krotmag dialect, {yeb} ("wrist") is pronounced {yem},
identical to the verb {yem} ("sin"). In parallel fashion, {ngIb}
("ankle") is pronounced {ngIm}, identical to the verb {ngIm} ("be
putrid"). Thus, the wrist gained an association with sinning, or
dishonorable behavior; the ankle, with putridity, perhaps moral decay.
>Additional Notes: KGT. (slang).
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons
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