tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Apr 03 08:14:21 2008
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Re: Klingon WOTD: ben (noun)
>This is the Klingon Word Of The Day for Thursday, April 3, 2008.
>
>Klingon word: ben
>Part of Speech: noun
>Definition: years old
Used in canon:
cha'vatlh ben HIq vItlhutlh
I will drink Two Century Old Ale. (PK)
loSmaH ben jIboghpu'
I am 40 years old. I was born 40 years ago. (st.k 12/96)
vagh SanID ben buDbe' wamwI'pu'
5,000 years ago, hunters were not lazy. (st.k 11/99)
st.k 12/12/96: The word {ben} can be used to mean "years old", but in
Klingon, one doesn't say "I am X years old". The phrase {loSmaH ben jIH},
if anything, would mean "40-year-old me" or the like. It would parallel
{cha'vatlh ben HIq} "Two Century Old Wine". "I am 40 years old" would be
expressed as: {loSmaH ben jIboghpu'}. This is "I was born 40 years
ago". As is normal in Klingon sentences, the time element (in this case,
{loSmaH ben} "40 years ago") comes first.
HQ 8.3: With longer time periods, such as a century ({vatlh DIS poH}), or
a period of 10,000 years (myriad, perhaps) ({netlh DIS poH}), the words
{ret} or {pIq} may be used in place of {poH}, e.g., {cha' vatlh DIS poH}
"two centuries", but {cha' vatlh DIS ret} "two centuries ago". The phrase
{cha' vatlh ben} would mean "200 years ago". The choice of construction
depends on what is being emphasized: in this case, the total number of
centuries (two) or the total number of years (200).
It's not canonical, but on the mailing list I've seen *{ben law'} "many
years ago, long ago" and *{ben law'qu'} "long, long ago; once upon a time"
used as time-stamps when relating myths and legends (e.g. Kahless!) - which
I rather like.
Pun notes:
Igor/Aryeh pointed out that the Hebrew word *ben* "son" is used when giving
ages (for males); e.g. *Ani ben X* "I am X [years] old", *Hu ben X* "He is
X [years] old".
Related nouns:
{ret} "period of time ago"
Ant. {nem} "years from now" and {pIq} "period of time from now"
>Homonyms:
> ben (noun) - years ago
Isn't this just an alternate translation, not a separate noun?
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons