tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Nov 15 11:24:29 1993
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toQDuj
- From: Captain Krankor <[email protected]>
- Subject: toQDuj
- Date: Mon, 15 Nov 93 12:23:35 -0700
Somebody suggested that, since toQDuj is given to us as meaning a Bird of Prey
class vessel, that perhaps we can interpret toQ as meaning bird or some such.
I strenuously disagree. All that we know is that this is what the Klingons
call this particular class of ship. We do *NOT* know that this is a literal
translation of the name or even that the Klingons think of it as a bird of prey.
"Bird of Prey" may well be a terran (or, more likely, Romulan) naming. For all
we know, to the Klingons this vessel resembles a native Klingon sea creature,
and that's what the toQ refers to. Or maybe a toQ is a particularly sneaky
thief who hides in the night (a reference to its cloaking ability). Or even
it could be that it was an 'aj named toQ who secured the deal with the Romulans
to get these ships. Or maybe even toQ is an attempted Klingon transliteration
of a *romulan* word, which the roms use for a "bird of prey". In short, just
because that's how the Fed's describe the ship doesn't mean that's how the
tlhInganpu' describe it. Notice that the Fed's refer to the Enterprise as a
"starship", whereas in at least one of the movies (3 5 joq), the Klingons call
it a "battlecruiser".
In short, I'd really *like* it to mean "bird"-- it would be a useful word to
have-- but right now that's really reaching.
--Krankor