tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Oct 11 10:50:34 2004

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Re: Klingon WOTD: qa'vIn (n)

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

>This is the Klingon Word Of The Day for Monday, October 11, 2004.
>
>Klingon word:   qa'vIn
>Part of Speech: noun
>Definition:     coffee, caffeine
>
>Additional Notes:
>HolQeD v4n2p7, and in KGT.

   When Marc gave me the word (we were chatting by phone) I immediately
   asked him if it was cognate for "coffee" or for "caffeine." I could
   hear him smiling on the phone as he replied something like, "Yes,
   that's a very good question..." (Lawrence Schoen, on the List)

   Okrand acknowledges that it is unclear whether this obvious cognate
   refers to the beverage itself, or to the prominence of "caffeine" in
   the brew, or perhaps to both at once. (Lawrence Schoen, HQ 4.2:7)

   For example, one language may borrow (and, in the process, phoneti-
   cally modify) a word for a concept it lacks, such as ... Klingon
   {qa'vIn} ("coffee"), which seems to be taken from Federation Standard
   "caffeine." (KGT 205)

   Though not native to the Empire, Klingons have developed a way to make
   coffee ({qa'vIn}) particularly strong, both in flavor and in its effect
   as a stimulant, and it is a very popular beverage. As a rule, coffee
   is consumed plain--that is, black--but some Klingons prefer to mix
   other ingredients in with the coffee. If some kind of {HIq} ("liquor")
   is added to the coffee, the drink is called {ra'taj}. It is said that
   the drink was originally nicknamed {ra'wI' taj} ("commander's knife",
   suggestive of its potency), and that the name was shortened over time.
   This often repeated story cannot be confirmed. In any event, {ra'taj}
   became one of the few Klingon foods to become popular outside of the
   Empire, though in an altered form. Instead of containing liquor, as
   does the genuine Klingon {ra'taj}, the "export" version (which came to
   be pronounced *raktaj* in Federation Standard) consists of strong Klingon
   coffee plus a nutlike flavoring. Eventually, a new fashion developed--
   adding cream to the *raktaj*--and with this innovation came yet another
   name, *raktajino*, modeled after the name of another popular coffee
   drink, cappuccino. *Raktajino* is now served hot or iced, with or without
   extra cream, and with or without the rind of some fruit to add even more
   flavor. Though it is sometimes called "Klingon coffee," it is quite
   different from both plain {qa'vIn} and the alcoholic {ra'taj}.
   (KGT 95-96)

   In fact, {vut} can also be used in reference to making a beverage, whether
   simply mixing ingredients together (such a putting cream in coffee) ...
   (KGT 83)

   Since certain drinks are typically associated with certain containers,
   saying the type of drink plus {HIvje'} indicates the type of cup or
   glass as well ... {qa'vIn HIvje'} ("coffee mug")...   (KGT 98f.)

John Ford's Klingons are also fond of black coffee in _The Final 
Reflection_, which they call *kafei* in *klingonaase*.



-- 
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons

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