tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Nov 14 08:42:31 1996

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Re: help with this.



>>Date: Wed, 13 Nov 1996 21:09:07 -0800
>>From: [email protected] (Denny Shortliffe)
>>
>>*** BTW, I suspect that someone goofed when they made the tape and used the
>>wrong word for "train" and the word {Qeq} was hurriedly invented to cover
>>the gaffe. ***
>
>This is possible, and it's important to keep in mind this possibility when
>dealing with tlhIngan-Hol as it's presented.  In this case, however, I
>personally tend to believe Qeq was intended.  Remember that the word was
>spoken by none other than Okrand himself, who is not likely to misread his
>own script.  Also, the translation is "aim" and not "train" (and don't tell
>me that "to train" also means "to aim."  It's a peculiarity of English that
>"to train" means both "to practice" and "to aim," and the fact that "qeq"
>is listed as "practice, train, prepare" is pretty clear that it's the
>"practice" meaning of "train" that we're dealing with and not the "aim.")
>The sentence is "he aims the torpedo perfectly" or something like that;
>"practicing a torpedo" doesn't make a lot of sense.  So I think that Qeq
>really is the word that was intended and spoken here.

Yes, the word was spoken by Okrand himself in CK but that's where the word was
first introduced (so I understand).  If it's a peculiarity of Engish that
"to train" means both "to practice" and "to aim", isn't it an even more
peculiar peculiarity of Klingon that the same two meanings are {qeq} and
{Qeq}?  I've met Dr. Okrand and he's a really nice guy, but he's a
{ter'ngan} and subject to the same errors that other {tera'nganpu'} make. 
I can see where he might have made a mistake (working late at night,
getting tired, he reaches for TKD and looks up "train"  thinking of guns
and comes up with {qeq}.  Later, realizing his mistake, he invents {Qeq}
and, to cover his tracks, says the word is {Qeq}.

BTW, I don't find that the sounds {q} and {Q} are quite so clearly
distinguishable as has been stated.  It depends on the individual speaker,
I find.  But then, I haven't had a lot of practise listening to spoken
Klingon (just the tapes).


Qapla'

qrlIH veStaySortlhIH Sogh la'       Lt. Commander K'rlikh Vestai-Shor-Klikh
tlhIngan wo' Duj qIj leng ra'wI'    Commanding Officer, IKV Black Odyssey
Qanpu' pogh DuQ cha'DIch ra'wI'     Deputy C.O., Mailed Glove Squadron

a.k.a.

--
Denny Shortliffe


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