tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Feb 01 12:09:17 2006
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Re: Klingon WOTD: nuch (noun)
>This is the Klingon Word Of The Day for Monday, January 23, 2006.
>
>Klingon word: nuch
>Part of Speech: noun
>Definition: coward
Used in canon:
vubpu' jon nuchpu'. jonbe' tlhInganpu'.
Cowards take hostages. Klingons do not. TKW
nuchpu'!
Cowards! KCD
["These {nuchpu'} fear the very weapons they sell."
(KCD novelization, p.85)]
The episodes:
K'mpec replied "{bIHnuch}" to Worf's formal admission
of cowardice as part of the discommendation ritual.
(TNG "Sins of the Father")
Apparently {bIH nuch} "they coward" (using the pronoun for inanimate
objects!), this is probably an attempt by the Paramount writers at "you are
a coward" using the verb prefix {bI-} incorrectly with a noun. It should
of course be {nuch SoH}. (Considering how often we saw Klingon story
lines, I never understood why none of the writers didn't take the trouble
to actually read and learn the relatively few pages of grammar in TKD
instead of using the glossary and looking at the charts.)
Cultural notes:
... taking a hostage is not a courageous act. Nevertheless,
under certain circumstance, Klingons do take prisoners. ...
Similarly, commander Kruge seemed to violate the norm when he
and his men came across a group of Federation citizens--Lieu-
tenant Saavik, David Marcus, and a young Spock--on the Genesis
planet and seized them. His intention was to interrogate them
and learn about the Genesis torpedo, not to hold them as
hostages. Thus, when Kirk unexpectedly showed up, it was
happenstance, not cowardice, that put Kruge in the position
of being able to take advantage of the situation. (TKW 97)
This expression [{qagh Sopbe'} "He doesn't eat gagh!"] ...
is also a way to refer to someone as a coward ... For Klingons,
among whom cursing is a highly developed art form, this is a
rather mild dismissive remark, not a strong insult. (TKW 137)
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons