tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Apr 29 19:15:16 1996

Back to archive top level

To this year's listing



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

Re: New words in HolQeD 5.1



peSHIr writes:
>But what I wanted to write about: Can we conclude the existence of the new
>words below from the lits of words from CD-ROM (page 20, HolQeD 5.1)?

Possibly, but caution is advisable.  For instance:

>lung = lizard (n)

{Duran lung} might be a name similar to "Komodo dragon", so {lung} might
not be the literal word for "lizard."

>lem = hoove (n)

This one seems straighforward, except the word is "hoof". :-)

>bey' = Display (n)

As long as it's the proper use of "display", I don't see a problem.
It looks like its meaning is similar to "exhibit".

>lIghon = Ligonian (n)

No.  {lIghon} "Ligon" is the name of a planet/culture.  In English, the
word "Ligonian" can be an adjective referring to that planet/culture.
The equivalent construction in Klingon is a (GENITIVE) noun-noun, with
the first noun being simply the name.  For example, see {DenIb Qatlh}
and {'orghen rojmab} in TKD.

>lIghon'ngan = Ligonian (n) ?

It might be {lIghongan} with the extra {n} missing.  We have the examples
{vulqan}/{vulqangan} and {'orghen}/{'orghengan}.  (This is from the K-E
side of TKD, by the way.)

>bal = jug (n)

{bIQ} enters into combinations with other words that aren't extremely
intuitive -- {bIQtIQ} "river" and {bIQ'a'} "ocean".  Maybe {bal} isn't
literally "jug".  The translation given in HolQeD is the single word
"waterjug"; perhaps {bal} is a generic term for bottle or something,
and only means "jug" when combined with water.  I'd be less leery of
this if HolQeD had said "water jug" as two words.

>botjan = shields (n)

This obviously refers specifically to the kind of defensive energy field
that is used to protect starships from enemy weapons.  It would probably
apply to a similar planet-based screen.

>Just curious if this works this way or if we can only use the words exactly
>as they are listed.

With a large dose of common sense, independent meaning can be teased from
a few of them.  But as long as reasonable counterexamples can be given, I
don't encourage trying to use them in isolation.

>And some other question: Does anyone know that to do with the following
>translations of word in the same list?
>
>titmouse

It's a bird!  Congratulations, Hamlet team; it appears that
{jajlo'ghogh Qa'} has some canon justification.  This can't
be simple coincidence, can it?

The American Heritage Dictionary defines "titmouse" as:
  Any of numerous small insect-eating passerine birds of the family Paridae,
  found in woodland areas throughout the world and including especially
  members of the genus Parus, such as the chickadee.

>T'oohomIrah

Beats me. :-)




Back to archive top level