tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Feb 19 08:03:01 1996
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Re: KLBC: poHmey
According to Alan Anderson:
>
> ter'eS asks:
> >How does one tell time in Klingon?
Nobody really answered the proper way to tell time in Klingon,
given the inconsistencies on the tape. What *I* take the tape
to tell me is that Klingons are not totally consistent, though
the most correct form is the most formal. 5:30 PM would be
{wa'maH Sochvatlh wejmaH rep}. You can apparently clip this to
{wa'maH Soch wejmaH rep}, though this is less correct, since it
fits an example, but not a rule.
The "noon" example is such an obvious blunder that it is not an
example of anything useful.
As for asking what time it is, my gut feeling is that a Klingon
would NEVER ask you what time it was and trust you to give an
honest answer. Therefore, as a Klingon, I tend to suggest
{tlhoqlIj HI'ang.} or, if I was in a bad mood, {tlhoqlIj
HInob.} emphasizing my point with the most appropriate weapon
for the distance between us.
We do have the example in TKD which translates to "My
chronometer has stopped," which may be the closest thing we
will get to asking what time it is. It may well be that "What
time is it?" rates right in there with "Have a nice day," and
"Please." These are things no Klingon would actually say.
If you INSIST on how to ask, "What time is it?" and you don't
mind making it obvious that you are a Terran tourist, I'd
suggest getting to the point and asking something like, {wej
qaSpu' *dinner* qar'a'?} Your host will be much less suspicious
of you than if you fail to indicate WHY you want to know what
time it is. Perhaps you are synchronizing your behavior with
some conspiracy?
If you are willing to take that risk, then {rep 'ar *displays*
tlhoqlIj?} I recommend you ask this from a defendable position.
I don't have TKD with me. display (v) = cha'? 'ang?
charghwI'
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