tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Oct 29 21:00:56 2006

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SoSlI': tera'ngan mu'qaD veS

De'vID ([email protected])



Warning: This post is about <mu'qaD veS>, so there may be some language 
or ideas not suitable for weak, pathetic human children.  You've been 
warned.

When I first learned about <mu'qaD veS> on Power Klingon, I didn't think 
the concept would work, since the jokes/insults would already be 
well-known and it would be easy to make a comeback.  However, I happened 
to catch a program on TV last night called "Yo Mamma", where humans 
basically play <mu'qaD veS>, trading insults until one player has 
clearly demonstrated the superior wit.  And it works surprisingly well:

http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/yo_momma/series.jhtml

The basic formula for a "yo mamma" insult is: "yo mamma's so (adjective) 
[that] (...)".

Some examples:

Yo mamma's so fat, when she gets sick a cargo lift is needed to get her 
to the infirmary.
pI'qu'mo' SoSlI', ropchoHDI', ropyaHDaq HIjlu' tepqengwI' lo'nISlu'.

Yo mamma's so old, she owes Kahless a darsek.
qanqu' SoSlI', ghaHvaD wa' DarSeQ nojpu' qeylIS 'ej wej nobHa'.

(What's the difference between <tatlh> or <nobHa'>?  Which one is 
appropriate for returning something borrowed?)

I noticed that the Terran formula doesn't translate to one thing in 
Klingon.  "yo mamma's so (adjective) [that] (...)" can mean either:

1) (...) because your mother is so (adjective); or
2) your mother is very (adjective), and as evidence of that, (...).

In the first case, it translate to <(adjectival-verb)qu'mo' SoSlI', 
(...)>, and in the second, the suffix <-mo'> doesn't belong.  That is, 
in the first example, a cargo lift is needed to transport your mother 
*because* she is so fat.  In the second, your mother owes Kahless a 
darsek, but it isn't *because* she is so old.  Rather, the fact that she 
owes Kahless a darsek is a demonstration of her age.

One can also deviate from the above formula.  The following, for 
example, resembles a Klingon proverb:
Yo momma's like Ferenginar: wet and slimy and filled with Ferengis.
verengan juHqo' rur SoSlI'; yIQ 'ej char 'ej verenganpu'mo' buy'.

-- 
De'vID





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