tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue May 28 14:02:42 1996
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Re: New here
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>Date: Mon, 27 May 1996 15:02:33 -0700
>From: [email protected]
>Just because humans like to have conversation openers, doesn't mean that
>Klingons do too.
This seems to me to be the nub of the problem. The trouble is that for all
that we're studying Klingon, we're still Humans and Human-educated, and we
feel funny without SOME way to open a converasation. More than that: we
sometimes get together (e.g. on the MUSH) and, being people with a shared
specialized interest, want to be able to discuss it. But we have nothing
in particular to say. In English, we have easy ways around this: phatic
speech like "Hi!" that tells someone "I'm here, and I'm probably willing to
talk to you, but I don't really have any business to say just now." Things
to say when you feel you must say SOMEthing, but don't know what to say
(like supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?). A Klingon likely wouldn't care
to talk to you if you had nothing to say, but we have interpersonal
relationships to deal with, for some reason or another. So we seek an
opener like that. A way to say "I'm here, just so you know. You can talk
to me if you wish."
By that reasoning, yes, nuqneH is a lousy substitute and shouldn't be
used. A Klingon with something to say would just SAY it, and a Klingon
with nothing to say would shut the hell up (or remain the hell silent). At
worst, making allowances for our non-Klingon desire to chat, you might as
well come right out and say "jISaH. qa'Ijqang." or something like that.
But it'd be a hard sell to the newcomers. :) This last may be enough
reason to cut slack.
~mark
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