tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Jul 26 14:26:10 2004

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Re: Labelling things...

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

...Paul wrote:

>I needed a distraction from the stress of work, so I decided to waste a
>bunch of Post-It notes labelling things in my cube.

I'm bored too.  Let's play!

>There's a lot of office stuff that doesn't have a good straightforward 
>name.  Any creative
>ideas for:
>
>bookshelf  (I was thinking /paq ngaSwI'/ ?)

Too general.  "Book container" - could also be a book bag, slipcase (for 
those multi-volume sets), etc.

Some have used *{beQwI'} < {beQ} "be flat" for "board, plank, shelf".  Glen 
Proechel used *{polwI'} < {pol} "keep, save, store" for "rack, shelf".  An 
existing to consider is {bey'} "ceremonial display" - e.g. {betleH bey'} 
"bat'leth Display", {nuH bey'} "Pride of Weapons (a ceremonial display of 
weapons)", {quv bey'} "Honor Display" - from KCD.  This would work nicely 
for your fancy, expensive rare book collection.  (A *[paq bey'} would be 
the perfect place to show off that original autograph Kahless manuscript 
{ghItlh} that's been in your {tuq} for generations.)

On the BoP poster there's a {Soj polmeH pa'} "Food Storage" (i.e. 
storeroom), so we could try *{paq polmeH pa'} for a library (room) in a 
house, a *{paq polmeH Daq} for a general place to store books, etc.

>plant (I'm pretty satisfied with /tIHom/, but wanted to put it out there)

If the plant is edible, call it a {naH}:

   Any part of any plant that is eaten may be termed {naH}, usually translated
   "fruit" or "vegetable". [KGT 89]

{naH} refers to both the plant itself, and the fruit and bvegetables it 
produces:

   ... Otherwise there are no known generic names for different types of {naH}
   (though there are terms for specific plants and parts of a plant).  [KGT 89]

AFAIK Okrand has never explained {tI} "vegetation", I think charghwI' hit 
it on the nose:

   I have come to accept that if you eat it, it is {naH}. If it is a plant and
   you don't eat it, it is {tI}. Perhaps {tI} includes {naH} as a subset.

although some people think it is a generic term for flora (e.g. the 
planet's vegetation is dying).

Another approach is to consider what kind of plant you're talking about.  I 
have several leafy, green plants at home which I call {lavHom} or even 
{lav} "shrub" depending on how big it is.  A Japanese bonsai would surely 
be {SorHom} < {Sor} "tree".

>keyboard (NO clue here, maybe /ghItlhwI'/?)

{ghItlhwI'} is on record as "stylus".  Also:

   The word {ghItlhwI'} (literally, "engraver") is also used for any writing
   implement as well as for any person who writes."  [KGT 79-80]

I've always used {SeHlaw} "control panel, console": {De'wI' SeHlaw}.

>drawers (???)

No idea.  Probably some sort of {ngaSwI'} "container".

>speakers (/wab lIngwI'/ maybe?)

Hurgh once used *{chuSwI'} < {chuS} "be noisy".

Purely for laughs, in "Star Trek: Generations" we heard one of the Duras 
sisters say *Du'cha* subtitled "On speakers!"



-- 
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons

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