tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Oct 23 12:36:24 2007
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Pun discovered for {taj}?
- From: Steven Boozer <[email protected]>
- Subject: Pun discovered for {taj}?
- Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2007 14:35:02 -0500
While reading the Spanish press last week, I stumbled upon what may be the
origin of {taj} "knife, dagger".
In Spanish, the verb *tajar* "to cut, slice" has a whole series of
derivative nouns: *tajo* "cut, gash; cutting edge; *tajada* "portion,
share, slice (something cut off)"; *tajadera* "chopping knife, cold
chisel"; *tajadero* "chopping block or board"; *tajador* "cutter, chopper";
*tajadura* "cutting, chopping (action); cut, slice (portion)"; *tajante*
"butcher", etc. This would be a spelling pun, as Spanish *tajar* is
pronounced {taHar} using the tlhIngan Hol transcription.
We know that Okrand reads Spanish - his Ph.D. dissertation on Mutsun was
largely based on source material in Spanish - and that there are a few
other Spanish-derived puns in the vocabulary of Klingon. I
Note that there's an entirely unrelated Klingon verb for "slit, slash (with
a blade)" - {SIj}.
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons