tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Feb 28 14:28:17 2005
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RE: Klingon WOTD: ruQ (verb)
> >>> Klingon word: ruQ
> >>> Part of Speech: verb
> >>> Definition: control manually, by hand
> >>> Source: TKD (106 KE, 141 EK)
ngabwI':
> >> I thought this was {raQ}
Voragh:
> > ngabwI' is right.
Holtej:
>No, {raQ} is "manipulate by hand, handle"; {ruQ} is "control manually,
>by hand." Maybe these are different, maybe they're not,
What's the difference between "control by hand" and "manipulate by
hand". ("Manipulate", in fact, is merely a fancy Latinate word meaning
"control by hand".) The basic meaning seems to be control or handling by
hand, i.e. not by machine/computer. If you substitute {ruQ} for {raQ} in
the KGT paragraph in question (p. 79), I see no real difference:
The closest to a general term in this realm may be the verb {raQ},
which means "manipulate by hand, handle". It can be applied to
carving, sculpting, metalworking, and the like but is really much
less specific, referring to activities that involve having some
control over some object. For example, in addition to saying {betleH
yan} ("He/she wields a bat'leth"), one could say {betleH raQ} ("He/
she controls a bat'leth"). By extension, the term {raQ} is also used
when referring to controlling a space vessel "manually" (that is,
when the controls are manipulated directly by a person rather than
a computer): {Duj raQ} ("He/she controls the ship manually").
As this paragraph immediately introduces a discussion of sculpture, carving
and incising and its related vocabulary - including tools - I assume that
{raQ} includes the use of hand tools. Whether it would include the use of
a power tool, I don't know. At least WRT art, it's a matter of
old-fashioned hand craftsmanship vs. modern factory mass-production.
> > This may be a typo, a look-up error or a mis-remembering by Okrand for
> > {ruQ} when he was writing KGT. But since this is the form he's described
> > with examples, as opposed to just a brief listing in a glossary, I'm
> > inclined to use {raQ} over {ruQ}.
>
>Your inclination is fine, but my presentation of the entry was not
>wrong. The worst that can be said is that it was incomplete, failing
>to note the similarity between the verbs {raQ} and {ruQ}. This kind
>of observation is exactly the reason we have KWOTD, to help identify
>these kinds of issues!
True. I know I've pointed out trivial differences and wondered about
them. For example, there are special words for manipulating specific
objects mentioned in KGT:
There is also the verb {yan}, which means "wield or manipulate (a sword).
[p.61]
To manipulate the {'aqleH} [a weapon that might be described as a cross
between an ax and a bat'leth; i.e. a pike or pole-axe] is {Qach}. [p.64]
And, reaching a bit:
The general term for "doctor" or "physician" is {Qel}, but a "surgeon,"
a doctor who actually manipulates the internal organs or bones of the
patient and thereby is the most invasive, is a {HaqwI'}, "one who per-
forms surgery. [p.151]
Hmmm... would this last also include a chiropractor? <g>
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons