tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun May 26 18:56:48 1996
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Re: New here
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>Date: Sun, 26 May 1996 15:42:57 -0700
>From: [email protected] (Alan Anderson)
>Scott McCool writes:
>>>So why do you say {nuqneH} when *you* begin? You used one Klingon
>>>word, but you misused that word.
>>
>>I was under the impression that it was a traditional greeting.
>>I was misstaken.
>It's actually the *only* greeting! According to TKD's introduction:
> "...When two Klingons meet each other (except in cases
> where military protocol determines behavior), if anything of
> an introductory nature is said, it is an expression that can best
> be translated as 'What do you want?'"
>I don't think it's appropriate to begin a conversation with {nuqneH}.
>When answering a hail (or answering the phone), I think it's perfect.
>If someone approaches me and doesn't immediately state his business,
>I'd consider using it. Depending on the exact situation though, it
>might be better to glare at the stranger and say {bIjatlhbe'chugh vaj
>bIHegh}.
For the record, I'm not so sure I'm dead-set against "nuqneH" as a
conversation opener. The word is plainly a fossilized form (it's not "nuq
DaneH" nor even clipped "nuq neH"; it's one word). It's the only greeting,
as we're told, so likely must do duty for any situation when you need to
open a conversation politely (and don't snort that Klingons don't do the
politeness thing: they are extremely polite, or they get dead. They just
have different ideas of civility. Okrand himself says that nuqneH is
considererd "quite civil" by Klingons [_Conversational Klingon_]).
~mark
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