tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Aug 31 05:43:20 1994
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Re: Ha'DIbaH
> (I fade back to English) If you were in a group of tlhInganpu', would you
> consider it more of an insult to be called:
>
> Ha'DIbaHpu' or Ha'DIbaHmey
>
>
> b'ret
In the latter case, the use of the -mey plural is grammatically correct
and makes for a pretty straight metaphor with the obvious parallel in
Enligsh of calling people "animals." But using -pu' in an obviously
ungrammatical way has, to my mind, a greater effect.
One of the tricks to being a great writer is to break the rules of a
language in effective ways. People often read (for example) James Joyce
and wonder why they have to pay such close attention to all the rules of
grammar when somone touted as one of the greatest writers in the English
language has such apparent disregard for them. But of course the trick
is that he doesn't. He knows them so well that when he violates them, he
does so consciously, for deliberate and specific effect.
My point is that referring to a group as Ha'DIbaHpu' is more than a
grammatical oxymoron. It conjures up a compelling and contradictory
image, specifically animals who use language (and who therefore should
not be glossed as animals). Used appropriately, I think this is the much
more interesting construction.
But that's just my opinion.
Lawrence
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