tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Mar 29 10:59:16 1994

Back to archive top level

To this year's listing



[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]

Re: KBTP: Marcan vocabulary



>This is a list of the neologisms and names I used in my translation >of
_Mark_.

For the most part these were good. A few, however, threw me off. And some
could imesho use slight improvement.

>Christ: 'IHrIStoS (ngoHlu'wI'?)
Good transliteration. If I'm not mistaken, you got the idea of {'I-} from
Turkish, qar'a'? But what in the ghe''or is {ngoHlu'wI'}. I think you'd
better look over your KD once more.


>prophet: nemsovwI'
Did you notice {leSSov} in TKD for "foresight"? {nemSov} would just indicate
a time in the more distant future.

>Angel, messenger (a'ggelos): QumyaS
Grammatically speaking, this compound is just asking for trouble. Maybe {Duy
quv}, similar to your {Duy} for "apostle".

>baptise: tay'mo' vISay'moH
[...]
>unclean spirit: qa' lam
Interesting you're assuming the metaphors of "clean" and "dirty" meaning
"morally good" and "morally bad" can also apply to Klingons. Klingons don't
necessarily equate {lam} metaphorically with "unholy".

>forgive, remission (a'phesis): noDHa'
Maybe {pIchHa'} or {pumHa'}. Hopefully no one would take that to mean
"wrongly accuse", tho.

>bird: chalHa'DIbaH
Maybe {puvbogh Ha'DIbaH}.

>Satan: veqlargh
It would be better as {veqlargh'a'}. Satan is not *a* demon; he's *the*
demon.

>fever: tujrop
Be careful here. Is "fever" {tujrop} or {roptuj}. Is it heat resulting from
disease or disease resulting from heat. {tujrop} looks to me like "heat
stroke" or "hyperthermia".

>daemon (daimo'nion): mIghwI' (qa' mIgh?)
I like {qa' mIgh}, which specifies that it's an evil spirit, as opposed to an
evil person or thing.

>pray (proseu'khomai): joH'a'vaD jItlhob; joH'a'vaD jIqoy'
>preach (kure:^sso:): jImaq; SoQ vIja'
~mark used {jach} for both "pray" and "preach" in his translation of _Jonah_.
But if that seems a bit vague, {maq} is good for "preach" and {qoy'} for
"pray".

>leprosy: surghwI' rop
Maybe {Surghbogh rop}.

>priest (hiereu^s): chIrghyaS; chIrgh'utlh
[...]
>chief priest (arkhiereu^s): lalDanla'
Maybe {chIrghpIn} and {lalDanpIn}

>sacrifice: [joH'a'vaD] nob [meQ]
Don't forget about the example from CK {Ha'DIbaH meQ}, implying the
intransitivity of {meQ}. {nob meQ} looks like "burnt gifts", which may do
just as well for the noun form of "sacrifice". {nob meQmoH} could serve as
the verb counterpart.

>cast out (ekba'llein): vIDoHmoH
Maybe {ghIm}.

>furniture, goods (skeu'e:): 'aH
[...]
>carpenter: 'aH chenmoHwI'
{juH 'aH} for "furniture" would be clearer.

>fetters: qamnaQ
What about {qammIr}?

>wisdom: yablaH
We also have {Sov} for "knowledge".

>from the dead (ek nekro:^n): lommeyvo'
What does the Greek version mean literally? Both the English and Klingon here
look idiomatic. I might suggest {HoHHa'} or {HeghHa'moH} for "resurrect". Or
maybe {yInqa'moH}.

>dance: yItchu'
I'm not so sure I'd understand this if I came across it in a text without
plenty of context. But with no better suggestions of my own, my complaints
are pretty much moot.

>elbow: DeSqIv
I'd like to nominate this as a candidate among the TopTen NickNicholas
neologisms.

>curse: naDHa'
We also have {qIch}.

>unchaste: naghHa'
Huh?! {nagh} means "stone, rock". I don't think it's quite the word you're
looking for.

>saliva: nujbIQ
Yep. Right up there with {DeSqIv}

>sigh: tlhuHchu'
I don't think I'd understand this one without a translation either.

>yeast: tIrSoj taS
"Liquid bread"?! Maybe {tIrSoj pepwI'}

>transfigure (metamorpho:'nomai): choS porghwIj
Isn't that supposed to be {choH porghwIj}?

>salt: Sojqut
Maybe {Soj choqbogh qut}

>treasury (gazofula'kion): HuchyaH
That's a weird one. Maybe {Huch polmeH pa'}

>pangs (o:di'ne:): boghwI' 'oy'
What?! "Labor pains"?! No! Try something like {nom 'oy'choH}

>winter: bov bIr
>summer: bov tuj
Two of my favorites.

>unleavened: beQ
Well, if "yeast" is {tIrSoj pepwI'}, then wouldn't "unleavened" be
{pepbe'lu'}?

>perfume: noSvagh
Not quite the same thing. But close enough. Could be {noSvagh'a'} or {He'wI'
wIbHa'}.

>bowl (tru'blion): Soj HIvje'
I like {HIvje''a'} which is what Krankor used in his lut, I believe.

>kiss: X luvan wuSDu'wIj
The connotations involved here are.. uh.. interesting. This is probably
beyond the realm of Klingon behavior. The closest they may come is {chop}. If
{yItchu'} works for "dance", then why not {chopchu'}?

>linen (sindo:^n): *lInen* qatwI'
Wouldn't it be {qatlu'wI'}?


I never got a chance to read over _Mark_. Now that I realize those bizarre
phrases that pop up so often in your texts are just neologisms, I can pick my
way thru it a bit more swiftly.

Guido#1, Leader of All Guidos



Back to archive top level