tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Jul 21 07:30:21 2014
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Re: [Tlhingan-hol] Klingon Word of the Day: rIlwI'
> Klingon Word of the Day for Monday, July 21, 2014
>
> Klingon word: rIlwI'
> Part of speech: noun
> Definition: thumb
> Source: HQ:v10n2p7
Nomen agentis of {rIl} "use the thumb":
(HQ 10.2:7-8): the word {nItlh} "finger" means any finger, including the thumb. A hand has {vagh nItlhDu'} (five fingers), not {loS nItlhDu'} (four fingers) and a thumb. There is a specific word referring to each of the five fingers, and these words are nouns derived from verbs by means of the suffix {-wI'} (thing which does); there are two pairs for thumb. The Federation Standard translation of the verbs is a little strained, but they mean something like use (the specific finger). The associated 'finger nouns' would be literally, though quite awkwardly, thing which is used in a thumb-like manner or perhaps thing which thumbs or even thumber ... The two sets of words relating to thumb are pretty much interchangeable, though small children usually use {rIl} and {rIlwI'} rather than {Sen} and {SenwI'}. Similarly, adults speaking to or about children tend to use {rIl} and {rIlwI'}. Both words are used together in an idiomatic expression meaning everybody, everyone: {SenwI'Du' rIlwI'Du' je}, literally "thumbs and thumbs". This expression is often heard without the plural suffixes: {SenwI' rIlwI' je}.
N.B. {rIl} also means "play (a wind instrument); i.e. this is a brass technique, not a flute technique. Most typically it is used with {gheb} "horn" as the object (HQ 10.2). (PUN: gheb rIl "Gabriel"!) Louis Armstrong was a *{rIlwI'}.
The synonym {Sen} "use the thumb" comes from Lake Seneca, one of the Finger Lakes in New York state, but what's the pun in {rIl}? There's got to be one else would Okrand create two verbs? Note that there's only one word for "big toe" {marwI'}.
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons
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