tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Jul 16 12:08:46 2014
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
[Tlhingan-hol] Noble thoughts?
I was wondering if {chuQun} (nobility) appears in the paq'batlh. Do we still have no clue as to whether it refers to the nobles collectively (i.e. the "upper class", members of the Great Houses, etc.) or to the abstract idea?
AFAIK Okrand has never mentioned {chuQun} - anyone talked to him about this? - we have hints as to Okrand's thinking:
KGT 37: Klingon society is a stratified one. That is, there are clear distinctions between those with great wealth and influence and those with little or none. This sort of status is a matter of inheritance. Among the higher classes, one is born into an ancestral unit known as a {tuq}, normally translated "house" ... the heads of the larger houses--that is, those with the greatest holdings and strongest forces-have seats on the Klingon High Council ({tlhIngan yejquv}), the body that rules the Empire. Since the number of seats on the Council is limited, many houses are not directly represented, are not as influential in Klingon society, and therefore occupy a slightly lower social position. In addition to wielding great political influence, members of the higher classes are also better educated than are others
KGT 40: Vocabulary associated with class distinctions falls into two types: words used to refer to the upper classes and words used predominantly by one class or the other.
KGT 41: The upper classes, for their part, incorporate a few archaic words into their speech.
KGT 49: Since dying in battle is considered a noble aspiration, suicide missions are a part of the Klingon military repertoire, and the honorable nature of such missions accounts for their nomenclature.
KGT 40: The leader of a house is afforded the title {joH}, usually translated as Lord. This title is also used to refer to his wife, translated as Lady. ... When addressing the head of a house, a member of a lower class may use either the name plus {joH} or else {joH} plus {-wI'} ... {joHwI'} (my Lord, my Lady).
TKD 43: There is but one suffix in this category. [{-neS}] is used to express extreme politeness or deference. It is used only in addressing a superior, someone of higher rank in the Klingon social, political, or military hierarchy. It is never required. ... This suffix is used rather infrequently by Klingons.
KGT 38f.: The most obvious grammatical feature associated with social status is the verb suffix {-neS} (an honorific) used to express a high degree of respect or honor. [...] Though there is no situation in which the use of {-neS} is required and its use is rather infrequent, when it is used, it is used only when addressing someone of higher rank, such as a higher officer in the military or a high political leader. It would not be used by a higher-ranking officer, for example, when speaking to a lower-ranking officer, nor would it be used when talking about a higher-ranking person. ... Of course, one does not need the suffix {-neS} in order to speak of honor. The adverbial {batlh} (in an honored fashion) may be used for exactly this function .... The relative ranking of individuals may be ascertained by noting who says {-neS} to whom.
It may be coincidence, but note the noun {Qun} "god, supernatural being" which Lieven once suggested may have meant "new gods" originally. (Klingons claim they killed their [old] gods.)
Some useful words:
moch superior (n)
qaH sir (n)
joH Lord/Lady, head of house (n)
qorDu' family (n)
tuq tribe, house, ancestral unit (n)
tuqnIgh member of one's house (n)
chuD people, kin, member of the same group or tribe or clan) (n)
vInDa' compatriot, community member, cohort, fellow citizen (n)
nIv be superior (v)
noy be famous (v)
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons
_______________________________________________
Tlhingan-hol mailing list
[email protected]
http://mail.kli.org/mailman/listinfo/tlhingan-hol