tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Nov 19 08:19:12 2007
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RE: Klingon WOTD: puH (noun)
At 01:44 AM Saturday 11/17/2007, Jon wrote:
> >This is the Klingon Word Of The Day for Thursday, November 15, 2007.
> >
> >Klingon word: puH
> >Part of Speech: noun
> >Definition: land
>
>I'm not clear regarding the vulgar (i.e. non-canonical) uses of {Sep} and
>{yoS}. Is {Sep} used to mean a country or nation (such as the US or France)
>and {yoS} a state (Texas)?
This is how I understand it. The {Sep}/{yoS} division is probably
contextual. Klingons would probably say that I live in the city of
Chicago, the major city of {CHICAGO Sep [i.e. Illinois], COOK COUNTY yoS}
(even though Chicago is not actually the capital of the state). Klingons
might refer to the United States, Canada, Russia, India or China as a {wo'}
or {DIvI'}, comprised of many large {Sepmey}. OTOH the much smaller United
Kingdom is called {wo' tay'} according to the Radio Times texts.
Okrand writes in "Klingon for the Galactic Traveller":
KGT 16-17: The Klingon Homeworld {Qo'noS}, usually rendered Kronos in
Federation Standard, is a planet with basically one very large mass of land
surrounded by ocean; perhaps continent is a comparable concept. Within the
land mass are distinct areas, some of which are demarcated geographically
(divided by a mountain range, for example), while the boundaries of others
seem rather arbitrary, the result, no doubt, of ancient power struggles. A
specific area whose borders are definable, by whatever means, is normally
called a {Sep}, commonly translated as "region", though, since the regions
were politically distinct in the past, "country" might have at one time
been just as appropriate a translation. An identifiable area within a {Sep}
is a {yoS} ("area, district"), and a {yoS} usually contains at least one
important {veng} ("city"); though sometimes, especially in the more rugged
parts of a planet, there may be only a small settlement or {vengHom}
["village"]). This terminology is also used when describing other planets
within the Empire.
Regions are sometimes identified by the name of the most prominent
city within the region. Thus, the region containing the First City is
simply called {veng wa'DIch Sep} ("First City region") and {voSpegh Sep}
("Vospeg region", southwest of the First City--to use directional terms
familiar to speakers of Federation Standard) is named after the city of
Vospeg. Other regions have names that are distinct from the names of any
districts or cities within them, such as the large {Sa'Qej Sep} ("Sakrej
region"), several thousand kilometers east of the First City. ...
Sometimes, however, the meaning of a place name is clear, such as the
Sakrej region's {HuD beQ yoS} ("Flat Mountain district")...
Before the time of the unification of the Empire by Kahless, the amount
of interaction between inhabitants of different regions varied. When
regions formed coalitions in a campaign against a common enemy, interaction
was great; when they were in a period of mutual antagonism, interaction was
limited. [...]
In addition to the regions on Kronos (and there are more than those
mentioned above), of course, are the various planets that have become part
of the Empire.
As I read this, it sounds as if Klingon {Sepmey} are smaller than Terran
countries/nations -- apparently only having one major city, if that -- and
possibly more numerous. This may also mean that prior to Kahless' founding
of the Klingon Empire, Kronos never developed the large nation-states
characteristic of present-day Earth.
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons