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Re: [Tlhingan-hol] Klingon Word of the Day: Do'Ha'

Steven Boozer ([email protected])



> Klingon Word of the Day for Thursday, November 06, 2014
> 
> Klingon word: Do'Ha'
> Part of speech: verb
> Definition: be unfortunate
> Source: TKD:coverpage

  maDo'Ha' 
  We are (always) unlucky. TKD

  Do'Ha' 
  Unfortunate. ST3

  De' lI' Sovlu'DI' chaq Do'Ha' 
  Knowledge of useful information may be unfortunate. PK

  va, Do'Ha' yorIq 
  Alas, poor Yorick! (TKH)

  Do'Ha'
  It is unfortunate. That is unfortunate! TKD

KGT 167:  [{'Igh} "be cursed/jinxed"] is a slang term with no known origin. It can be applied to just about anything--persons, missions, ships, and so on--when everything seems to be going wrong. Since Klingons consider self-control a great virtue, declaring oneself to be cursed is comparable to an admission of weakness and utterly uncharacteristic (though not unknown). To say that someone else is cursed, on the other hand, is to attribute weakness to that person. Accordingly, {bI'Igh} ("You are cursed, you are jinxed") is quite insulting. In standard Klingon, the same idea may be expressed by saying {Do'Ha'moHlu'} ("be made unlucky" or "someone/something causes [someone/something] to be unlucky"), as in {DaDo'Ha'moHlu'} ("You've been made unlucky, or someone/something causes you to be unlucky").

KGT 155:  Often, the word is used with no overt subject, as if an exclamation: {natlh} ("It is objectionable," or "That is shameful"; literally, "It consumes"). Nonslang counterparts, none of which carries the impact of {natlh}, might be {quv Hutlh} (lack honor), {qab} (be bad), or {Do'Ha'} (be unfortunate). The word {'up} (disgusting, repugnant) may also be used, most commonly in reference to food or drink. See also {SaS} (literally, "be horizontal"), another slang term used to voice disapproval.

KGT 164f.:  {SaS} is also used as an exclamation to express disapproval, comparable to the standard {Do'Ha'} (unfortunate). For example, upon hearing that a ship has been destroyed, one may say simply {SaS} (literally, "horizontal" but suggesting "That's bad, that's unfortunate").


Don't confuse with the adverbial {Do'Ha'} "unfortunately" (KGT ):

HQ 4.4:  Whether this {-Ha'} can be added to all adverbials is not clear. The notes taken while working with Maltz indicate that he balked at *{vajHa'} ("not thus"?) but accepted {Do'Ha'} "unfortunately." 

  Do'Ha' QIp qabpaqwIj. 
   [Okrand to Andre on FaceBook, 2/11/2014]

Cf. {Do'} "luckily, with luck" (adv) and {Do'} "be fortunate, be lucky" (v).  E.g.

  maDo'Ha' 
  We are (always) unlucky. TKD

  maDo'be' 
  We are not lucky. TKD

  maDo'choH 
  We are becoming lucky. We are undergoing a turn of luck. TKD


SEE ALSO:

SuD  		gamble, take a chance, take a risk (v)
San 		fate (n)


--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons



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