tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Jan 28 05:03:15 1997

Back to archive top level

To this year's listing

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]

Klingon Honor


 > Continuing from my last post. 

Uh-oh.  I *thought* my mail from the list looked light the last two days. 
Your "last post" never made it to me.

 > What I want to know is simply this: 
 > that is the difference between the nouns {batlh} and {quv}? 

An interesting question I'm not sure we can answer.

 > However, on reviewing the canon, it seems that Okrand sometimes uses
 > {batlh} and {quv} interchangeably. Certainly to do something
 > "(dis)honorably" you use {batlh} as an adverbial, {batlh(Ha')}. Since
 > he took the trouble of coming up with two separate words, just how does
 > he distinguish between them?

I don't think he does, really.  {batlh} came first as a noun and adverbial. 
When he decided he needed a verb {to honor} he created {quv}.  Perhaps he
forgot he already had {batlh} for a noun, but in any case he decided to make
{quv} one of the verb/noun pairs.

 > Or have I just confused myself again?

Perhaps.

I have a proposal, aimed primarily at the grammarians but also to the list as
a whole.

I will be attending BabelCon 2 in Pittsburgh April 4-6.  Dr Okrand is tha
guest, will be giving a language seminar which I plan on attending (it's an
additional $10, which I can afford; I will *not* be doing the $25 "lunch with
the guest", as that's a bit too steep for my con budget).  I hope that over
the course of the weekend I will have the chance to talk to Dr Okrand
informally (hey, it's a *small* con!) but perhaps I can wangle a few minutes
of his time for "official" KLI business.

I don't want to put Okrand "on the spot" with questions on some of our Ph.D.
level wrangling, but something like "is there a difference between {batlh} and
{quv}" might be appropriate.  I've asked Lawrence to consider what we might
safely ask Dr Okrand.  I don't expect new words (although something a little
more serious that {'I'} would be nice) - clarification on some simple points
would be what I'd like to accomplish.

If you have a serious suggestion, please email me (*not* the list!) and I'll
correspond with Lawrence and ~mark to formulate a final list.  I'll make no
promises that I'll use your question, or even that I'll have the chance to ask
it.  But we'll see what we can do.

Qob la' (tlh.w.D. quttaj ra'wI')
tlhIngan Hol yejHaD qhojwI'

Back to archive top level