tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Jun 08 09:48:15 2015

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Re: [Tlhingan-hol] Klingon Word of the Day: Qutlh

Steven Boozer ([email protected])



Klingons can talk about their feelings, but rarely do so.  Warriors may consider it in bad taste, but probably for different reasons than, say, Vulcans.  E.g.

TKW 110:  Upon reaching a certain age, the Age of Ascension, a young Klingon undergoes a rite of passage symbolizing the attainment of a certain spiritual level ... the initiate, while walking along a path lined by painstik-wielding warriors, expresses his or her deepest feelings." (cf. TNG the Icarus Factor")

KGT 71f.:  Another common way to say that a specific piece or performance of music has a particularly strong effect on a listener is to employ the verb {DuQ} (literally, "stab"): {muDuQ boom} ("The song stabs me", or, in a more colloquial Federation Standard form, "The song moves me"). If the music is judged positively--that is, if the listener likes it--the music is said to be {'ey}, using the word normally translated as "delicious" when talking about food. Rendering {'ey bom} as "The song is good" is acceptable, but it fails to capture the real feeling of the Klingon. 

Note that the KGT examples rely on metaphorical use of otherwise utilitarian verbs.  The only verbs I can find to talk about emotions per se - other than naming a specific emotional response (e.g. {Hagh} laugh, {Quch} be happy, {'IQ} be sad, etc.) - is {nong} "be passionate" and {'It} "be depressed":

  nong; vulqangan rur 
  passionate as a Vulcan (simile) KGT

  SanDaj buS vaj 'It 
  The depressed warrior concentrates on his fate (PB)

I can’t imagine there are Klingon support groups or even psychiatrist/psychologists.  <g>

--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons


> -----Original Message-----
> From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
> Sent: Monday, June 08, 2015 11:25 AM
> 
> Of course, this implies that Klingon doesn’t even have a word for
> “psychological or any other non-physical type of support”…
> It’s a cultural statement. “You want emotional support? [followed by knee-
> slapping laughter, and maybe a whiplash-inducing smack on the back]
> Either that, or shunning. I’d prefer laughter, myself.
> 
> > On Jun 8, 2015, at 9:31 AM, Steven Boozer <[email protected]> wrote:
> >> Klingon Word of the Day for Saturday, June 06, 2015
> >>
> >> Klingon word: Qutlh
> >> Part of speech: verb
> >> Definition: support
> >
> > At qep'a' 17 "Marc also clarified that Qutlh (support) can only refer to
> physically supporting something. It can't refer to monetary (he said
> {ghaq} is for this), psychological or any other non-physical type of
> support." (qurgh, 7/27/2010)
> >
> >
> > SEE ALSO:
> > ngaq 		support [military term] (n)
> > ghaq 		contribute, support [financially] (v)
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