tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Nov 21 20:23:50 1996
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Re: maw' Damev!
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>Date: Thu, 21 Nov 1996 16:43:50 -0800
>From: "David Trimboli" <[email protected]>
>
>jatlh Joel Anderson:
>
>> If I use the word "bomlut" in a sentence, wouldn't one
>> be able figure out that I mean either "opera" or "musical"?
>>
>> No - I don't think you can count on that. I'd suggest you
>> footnote the use in Klingon. Make up a template like:
>
>Actually, I'd imagine this example to be pretty obvious. "Song-story" does
>seem to refer to a narrative which contains a good deal of song. However, not
>all such compounds are obvious. Apparently, HurghwI' didn't catch onto
>ghunchu'wI''s {mInyoD}. I knew what ghunchu'wI' was talking about (after all,
>how many meanings can "eye-shield" possibly have in that context?), but
>HurghwI' didn't.
I thought bomlut worked well too. But Joel's point is well-taken (or should
be). Not everything works so well... Remember what I call "hindsight
words"? Those are compounds or phrases that make exquisite sense... once
you know what they mean already. The trouble is, the person who invents
them knows what they mean and can't see why they're so mystifying before
they're explained. You have to be careful to watch out for effects like
that. A little footnoting can save a lot of confusion.
>As for footnoting your Klingon . . . not all Klingon is written. Sometimes
>(although for me, rarely), we get to converse personally in it. How do you
>footnote that? Do Klingons speak by footnoting?
Maybe. In a language where there's productive compounding, you sometimes
have to explain a word that your interlocutor may not have seen before.
Happens in English too, with larger phrases. Probably less often than you
might fear: context is a wonderful thing. But don't shudder at the
occasional verbal footnote.
~mark
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