tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Mar 11 07:19:19 1996
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Re: asking
>Date: Sat, 9 Mar 1996 08:11:51 -0800
>From: Terry Donnelly <[email protected]>
>I've always used {tlhob} to mean "ask a question", but the Addendum
>actually defines it as "request, ask, plead". This leads me to think
>that {tlhob} can only be used for "ask *for* (something)". So I would
>guess that {yu'} "question, interrogate" would be the verb meaning
>"ask a question".
I tend to try to use these words this way.
>(Actually, given the other meanings of {tlhob}, it's probably somewhat
>pejorative. A true warrior would probably use {poQ} or {qap} instead.)
I don't agree with you here. There's nothing pejorative about asking for
something, even Klingons don't always have everything they want/need.
Okrand used "plead" in his gloss to help get the meaning across, but he
also used "request" and "ask", which are neutral words. Those glosses are
designed to convey the denotations of Klingon words, but I think it's
asking too much of the lexicographer to assume that the connotations match
as well.
~mark