tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Dec 08 09:28:48 2006
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Re: Klingon WOTD: ra' (verb)
>This is the Klingon Word Of The Day for Friday, December 8, 2006.
>
>Klingon word: ra'
>Part of Speech: verb
>Definition: order, command
Used in canon:
qara'DI'
as soon as I command you TKD
cha yIbaH qara'DI'
qara'DI' cha yIbaH
Fire the torpedoes at my command. TKD
qara'pa'
before I command you TKD
chay' jura'
What are your orders? ("How do you command us?") TKD/ST3/ST6
qara'qu'
That's an order. (ST5 notes)
ra' qarghan HoD
[It is] under the command of Captain Kargan. S7
The nomen agentis is {ra'wI'} "commander":
There is, in addition, a frequently misunderstood word,
{ra'wI'}, which is correctly, though misleadingly, translated
as "commander", as is {la'}. The confusion comes about because
{ra'wI'} literally means "one who commands", from the verb
{ra'} ("command, order") plus the suffix {-wI'} ("one who does
[something]"). Thus, a {ra'wI'} is, literally, "someone who
gives an order". The word is generally used to refer to any
officer of the rank of {Sogh} [i.e. lieutenant] or higher. It
may be used as either a description ({ra'wI' ghaH qImlaq'e'}
[K'mlak is a commander] or a title ({qImlaq ra'wI' [Commander
K'mlak]), though in all cases it is understood as not reflecting
the precise rank of the individual. Except for formal occasions,
it is safe to use the title {ra'wI'}. In fact, if one is not
sure of an officer's rank, it is probably the safest route to
take. (KGT 52f)
Appears as a morpheme in the noun {ra'ghomquv} "The High Command", {Hoqra'}
"tricorder" and, possibly, {ra'taj} "coffee with liquor (raktajino).
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons