tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon May 27 17:41:34 1996
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Re: nuqneH
- From: "Robyn Stewart" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: nuqneH
- Date: Mon, 27 May 1996 17:34:32 PST
- Organization: NLK Consultants, Inc.
- Priority: normal
& In a message dated 96-05-26 22:20:32 EDT, ~mark wrote:
&
& >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).
&
& I've often thought of it as a sort of conventional contraction (say THAT five
& times fast!), which would translate (as Okrand himself translates in CK) as
& "whaddya want?"
Based on first edition TKD I think nuqneH maintains the meaning
"whaddya want", but doesn't necessarily have to be answered.
The purpose of a greeting is to (a) get a person's attention
and/or (b) acknowledge that you have noticed a person's presence.
Purpose (a) is necessary if I want to talk to someone, but I could
simply say <SuStel! mIvlIj chu' HI'ang>. To me, <nuqneH> only works
for (a) if the person is hanging around my office.
<nuqneH> almost always works for (b).
Let's say I'm sitting in the bar and nuqHm walks in.
I could say "nuqneH!" and he could say "toH. wovwI', nuqDaq chom?"
Or he could say "wovwI'" and I could say "nuqneH!"
But if he said "nuqneH," I'd be likely to say "nuq DaneH
SoH? HIq jItlhutlh vIneH. qatlh tachDaq jIba' 'e' DaQub jay'?"
nuqneH *is*, as others have said, the perfect way to answer the phone.
Think of it as Klingon for "Hi there, how may I help you?"
I think the point of Klingon not having greetings is that there is no
little ritual you must go through before you can get to the business
at hand. It is *more* acceptable to walk up to someone who has an
interesting robot and say <qoqlIj vInuD vIneH> than it would be
to preface the same request with any other comments.
Robyn Stewart - NLK Consultants Inc. - [email protected]