tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Jan 26 20:27:59 1997

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RE: Beginner



January 26, 1997 9:45 PM EST, jatlh nImaq:

> HI!  

Hi!  I'm SuStel, the list's Beginners' Grammarian.  If you've already heard me 
say what I'm about to say, feel free to skip it and get to the meat of the 
message.

If you've got a beginner's question, or would just like to talk to someone, 
not just me, in Klingon on a beginner's level, please add "KLBC" to the 
beginning of your subject line.  This will mark the message as a high priority 
for me (well, I read everything, but if pressed for time I might decide not to 
bother responding to a non-KLBC message), and I'll get right on it.  It also 
tells everyone else that the BG is the first person permitted to correct your 
post's grammar, so that you don't see half a dozen people give you differing 
advice.

Finally, if you haven't already done so, I recommend you check out the KLI's 
homepage:
http://www.kli.org

and this list's FAQ:
http://www.thomtech.com/~dspeers/klingon/faq.htm

> I'm 14 and just beginning to study Klingon, and I wanted to know if my
> grammar on a particular term was correct.
> 
> che'wI' Hurgh
> 
> Is this a close approximation of "Prince of Darkness"?

Actually, it means "dark ruler."  Good job using {che'wI'} for a person who 
rules (although it's more generic than "prince," which is usually considered 
to be the son of a king).  But {Hurgh} is a verb, and when a verb follows a 
noun, it acts like an adjective.  So, saying {che'wI' Hurgh} is describing the 
ruler as dark.

Unfortunately, there's no easy word for "darkness" (some might suggest 
{HurghtaHghach}, but believe me, it's a pretty lousy substitute; read TKD 
section 4.2.9 in the Addendum and Okrand's interview in HolQeD 3:3 if you've 
got a copy).

This happens occasionally in Klingon: you need to come up with an alternative. 
 Well, let's see: how about this:

qo' Hurgh che'wI'
ruler of the dark realm

If you don't like it, please do try to come up with other alternatives!  I 
know there are others to cook up out there, but I wouldn't want to take all of 
the fun away from you!

> Thanx!

qay'be'!

-- 
SuStel
Beginners' Grammarian
Stardate 97073.7


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