tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon May 27 14:51:25 1996
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Re: New here
In a message dated 96-05-27 05:33:46 EDT, toQDoq wrote:
>I can guess that the use of nuqneH is somewhat similar to the use of
>"Goodmorning" or "Hello" in the Terran culture. We say it out as a
>greeting, not because it is a statement of fact. It is an ice-breaker or a
>way to introduce your self to someone, or just plain curtesy.
I really don't believe this. Why would a Klingon need to break the ice? The
idea is to state your business!
OK. But what happens if you're not visiting someone because you want to buy
something from them, or because they are your military superior? Let's say
you're visiting your best warrior friend. How do you greet him? You
probably do what Gowron and Torghn do in Star Trek: Klingon: shout each
other's name and embrace. It's firm, it's powerful. It means something.
"Hello" means nothing. I really don't believe that Gowron and Torghn would
walk up to each other and say "nuqneH."
Just because humans like to have conversation openers, doesn't mean that
Klingons do too.
I mean, how
>often do we really take "Goodmorning" at it's real meaning? If it is like
>my usual day it has been one bastard of a morning and I'd rather tear the
>person's throat out with my teeth than talk to them (but that's just me mind
>you).
maj. tlhInganna' SoH!
>However, it is what the Terran society deems as "good manners", and
>as such I also believe that the Klingons would hold to the same idea.
Good manners? Yes. The Klingons believe in good manners. Do those
necessarily constitute saying "nuqneH"? I doubt it.
>Albeit the translation means something else, it is as close to polite as you
>are going to get, and as the above states, the Klingons "...are extremely
>polite, or they get dead." If we didn't use nuqneH then it would like not
>being able to say "goodmorning" without knowing if the person has had a good
>one or not.
Only for a human. A Klingon wouldn't even understand the reason that humans
bother to say good morning.
Oh, by the way, another reason that Klingons prefer directness: to prevent
duplicity. Imagine a human trying to buy something from a Klingon. Think of
the opening to Power Klingon, if you've heard it. The human walks into the
shop. The Klingon says "nuqneH?" Brief. Relevant. It shows that the
Klingon is paying attention. Then the bumbling human says "'IH jaj, qar'a'?
maja'chuqjaj?" (First off, it's lousy Klingon, and I'm being generous with
his pronounciation of {'IH}.) Now, for all the Klingon knows, this may be a
(supposedly) clever human who is either trying to fast-talk him, con him out
of something, or has associates working with him, and his job is to stall the
Klingon. What does the Klingon do in this situation? Go for the disruptor .
. .
I think I'll stop going on about this now.
SuStel
Hovjaj 96404.8