tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue May 08 07:19:36 2007
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Re: Klingon WOTD: ghob (noun)
>This is the Klingon Word Of The Day for Tuesday, May 8, 2007.
>
>Klingon word: ghob
>Part of Speech: noun
>Definition: ethics, virtue
>
>Additional Notes:
>KGT adds the meaning of "virtue."
Used in canon:
qorDu' SaHlu'chugh 'ej matlhlu'chugh vaj wa' tlhIngan ghob potlhqu'
devotion and loyalty to family is one of the most important Klingon
virtues. S13
tlhIngan ghobmey paq
Klingon Book of Virtues
[i.e. original title of TKW according to MARC-CIP (Library of Congress)]
pop 'oH ghob'e'
Virtue is the reward.
["This proverb does not mean 'Virtue is honor'. The use of the word {pop}
suggests that virtue is the honor bestowed as a result of acting in a
manner respectful of society's values, not simply advocating them."
(TKW 47)]
ghob tIvnISbe'lu'
One need not enjoy virtue. TKW
Idiom: {ghob yIpab} "be virtuous":
batlh ghob yIpab
Adhere to virtue honorably.
["The Klingon verb in the expression, {pab}, is here translated 'adhere',
but it is also used to mean 'follow', in the sense of following rules,
suggesting perhaps that, though not officially laws, virtues should be
followed as if they were." (TKW 47)]
Cultural notes:
"A 'virtue' is a particularly valued quality or a form of behavior that
exemplifies moral correctness, as defined by a society... Indeed, the
Klingon word {ghob} may be translated as 'ethics' or 'virtue', linguistic
evidence that the concept is not unknown or never discussed among the
Klingons themselves. It is probably significant that the Klingon word for
'do battle', or 'wage war' is likewise {ghob}. Though some, perhaps many,
of a society's virtues are represented in its legal codes, a virtue is not
a law. A violation of a virtue need not carry with it any legal sanction. A
virtue does not even have to be followed all the time to still be
considered a virtue. What is important is that members of the society agree
that the virtue represents what should be done, even if it is not done.
When a virtue is ignored, all recognize the transgression, even if there
are no immediate consequences." (TKW vii)
"those who violate the rules of their own cultures and do not observe their
own virtues are acting dishonorably and are not to be trusted." (TKW 189)
"Virtue is a relative term, Doctor." (Spock to McCoy, TOS "Friday's Child")
Related nouns:
{tIgh} custom; {potlh} a value; {lalDan} religion
See also _The Ethics of Star Trek_ by Judith Barad & Ed Robinson (NY:
HarperCollins, 2000)
>Homonyms:
> ghob (verb) - fight, battle, do battle, wage war
Used in canon:
'ang'eghQo' quv Hutlhbogh jagh neH ghobtaHvIS ghaH
Only an enemy without honor refuses to show himself in battle. TKW
noH ghoblu'DI' yay quv law' Hoch quv puS
In war there is nothing more honorable than victory. TKW
ghobchuq loDnI'pu'
"The Brothers Battle One Another" KCD
(i.e. the famous statue of the brothers Kahless and Morath)
ghob tlhIngan SuvwI'pu'
Klingon warriors wage war. KGT
wa'leS maghob. ghIq malop.
Tomorrow we will do battle. Then (after that) we'll celebrate. (HQ 8.3)
"Similarly, there are several verbs for 'fight', 'battle', and the like.
Most broadly, 'do battle' or 'wage war'--that is, actually engage in a
conflict in which a number of combatants are involved--is {ghob}. The
notion of 'make war' in the general sense, referring to the *idea* of war
and not a *specific* war, is {Qoj}. The verb for 'fight', whether in a war
or a one-on-one confrontation, is {Suv}. In short, the nouns {veS} ('war,
warfare') and {vIq} ('combat') and the verb {Qoj} ('wage war') all are used
to refer to the ideas of warfare, combat, and making war, while the nouns
{noH} ('war') and {may'} ('battle') and the verbs {ghob} ('make war, do
battle') and {Suv} ('fight') are used when referring to specific, concrete
instances of war, battle, and fighting. Thus it is possible to say {noH
ghob} or {noH Suv}, both meaning 'He/she fights a war', or {may' ghob} or
{may' Suv}, meaning 'He/she fights a battle', but it is not normally
acceptable to say {veS ghob} ('He/she fights a warfare') or {vIq Suv}
('He/she fights a combat')." (KGT 47)
Related verbs:
{vID} "be belligerant"
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons