tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Mar 20 14:21:46 2006
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
Re: A probably missed pun...
- From: Steven Boozer <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: A probably missed pun...
- Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2006 16:21:29 -0600
Shane MiQogh:
> >Despite baQa' isn't used as a curse against some one (i don't think) it
> >might be a pun of "baka" which is japanese for "fool".
I'm told it can also be translated "stupid, idiot" - though it's much more
foul in Japanese than the English would suggest. Note that Klingons use
{qoH} fairly often, most often in proverbs.
> >Meh, but it would be nice to actually know what it means, so
> >maybe we would have a better idea on how to correctly use
> >the words.
We do have two non-Okrandian examples of {baQa'}:
When Picard failed to convince Governor Vagh that the Federation
wasn't supplying weapons to Kriosian rebels, Vagh shouted: "You
speak the lies of a *tah-keck*!" Picard calmly leaned forward
and replied, *Qu'vatlh guy'cha b'aka!*" Vagh complimented him,
saying: "You swear well, Picard. You must have Klingon blood in
you." (TNG "The Mind's Eye")
In the extra "making of" feature to the ST5 DVD, actress Spice
Williams recalls her reaction to the news she had gotten the
part of Vixis:
yay, yay! Hov lengvaD! baQa'!
"Wow, wow! For Star Trek! Omigosh!"
(Note that Williams was coached by Okrand during the film, so it's
possible they played around with cursing during these classes.)
Mark Shoulson noted in HolQeD 3.1 that {baQa'} is the last word in the
sentence, just like {jay'}. A coincidence or an "undocumented"
feature? Who knows?
QeS:
>The Addendum to the second edition of TKD (section 5.5) contains a bit more
>explanation of invectives. Anyway, if the Klingon curses are as strong in
>meaning as they're described in TKD, I seriously doubt the editors at Pocket
>Books would let the English translations through uncensored.
lay'tel SIvten:
>But some indication of the kind of situation they would be appropriate in
>would be nice (as was done on the tapes {or just one tape?]).
Okrand explained four of the words in "Conversational Klingon":
{Qu'vatlh}
"This is something you might hear someone say in moments of extreme
anger. Be concerned if you hear it."
{toDSaH}
"This is something one Klingon would call another if they weren't on
the best of terms."
{ghuy'cha'}
"Here's another word with strong force. A Klingon might say it after
receiving an unsettling communique. It's a lot stronger than the
Terran 'Darn it!'."
{taHqeq}
"If you call someone this, stand back! This is a classic insult."
Okrand provided a few insulting phrases in "Power Klingon":
targhlIj yIngagh! yIruch!
Go mate with your targ!
Dejpu'bogh Hov rur qablIj
Your face looks like a collapsed star!
targhlIj yab tIn law' no'lI' Hoch yabDu' tIn puS
Your targ has a bigger brain than all your ancestors put together!
ghe''orDaq luSpet 'oH DaqlIj'e'
You belong in a black hole in the Netherworld!
HoS lI' Dalo'Ha'chu'
You are a total waste of good energy!
Hab SoSlI' Quch
Your mother has a smooth forehead!!
[N.B. "The most insulting curse of all!")
And a relevant toast:
matay'DI' vIHtaHbogh bIQ rur mu'qaDmey.
Between us, curses run like water.
In "Star Trek: Klingon!" (KCD, the game) we learn a bit more:
{verengan Ha'DIbaH} "Ferengi dog" is "a classic insult"
{tu'HomIraH} *T'oohomIrah* (something useless) used in a sentence:
HurDaq tu'HomIraHvetlh yIlan
Get that piece of junk out of here!
{QI'yaH}
"This is one of the strongest, most foul expressions in the
Klingon language. It defies adequate translation."
By the way, in the prologue of ENT "Borderland" we get a perfect example of
{QI'yaH}:
A KLINGON BIRD-OF-PREY HAS SEIZED A SMALL SHIP CARRYING TWO HUMANS.
Captain: "Contact the High Council. Inform them of the prisoners.
Request instructions."
KLINGON DISRUPTOR FIRE IS HEARD.
Officer: "Commander. Disruptor fire near the brig."
BRIDGE DOORS OPEN, THE CAPTAIN TURNS AND SEES TWO HUMAN AUGMENTS
HOLDING DISRUPTORS.
Captain: "Qi-yah ..."
THE HUMANS RAISE THEIR DISRUPTORS AND SHOOT HIM.
FADE TO OPENING CREDITS.
Shane MiQogh:
>Perhaps it would be appropriate to make a list (i'll gladly host) of
>klingon curses (not many) an examples of each if anyone can find any. The
>only klingon material i really have is TKW and TKD...
Well, I made such a list back in 1995. See "Voragh's Notes on Klingon
Cursing" at:
<http://www.geocities.com/Athens/8853/curse.html>http://www.geocities.com/Athens/8853/curse.html
(There's a bit more on this list in a podcast Joel Andersen did with
me. The sound file is at
<http://xenolang.blogspot.com/2005/12/few-words-with-canon-master.html>http://xenolang.blogspot.com/2005/12/few-words-with-canon-master.html
and the email notes are at:
<http://www.tc.umn.edu/%7Ejoela/mrk/canonmaster.html>http://www.tc.umn.edu/%7Ejoela/mrk/canonmaster.html
)
This was an informal list I sent to Glen Proechel's _qIb HeHDaq_ newsletter
several years ago. It's an unedited, mishmash of comments, canon and
theory on the various curses we knew of at the time. As it was intended
for the Klingon fan to know which curse was most appropriate for the given
situation, I gave quite a few references to the episodes (something many
Klingonists consider to be irrelevant).
I collected examples of when each curse - both the ones Okrand provided as
well as others the writers created - were used in the movies and episodes
in order to provide a bit of guidance for the novice or discover any more
of those "undocumented features". As it happens, though, it turns out that
there isn't any pattern; the writers seem to just pick one at random --
usually {petaQ} with a variety of spellings in the captions and scripts
(p'tahk, pahtk, pahtak, patahk, p'tak, etc.)
All this talk about cursing has inspired me to update it with material from
the episodes which aired after it was posted in 1997, especially VOYAGER
and ENTERPRISE. (In fact, if anyone else has been making suck a list, I'd
appreciate if you could send me a copy.)
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons