tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Jul 10 11:32:28 1997
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Re: We are klingons
- From: "Robyn Stewart" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: We are klingons
- Date: Thu, 10 Jul 1997 11:31:13 PST
- Organization: NLK Consultants, Inc.
- Priority: normal
William Cody wonders:
& At first glance, I assumed it was <tlhIngan maH> But that would be
& <we are Klingon>, saying you, together, are the race of thlingan.
& But <thlnganpu' maH> would be <we are Klingons>, saying that the
& each of the group are Klingon. Very little difference, but I think
& <thlInganpu' maH> would be more acceptable. Opinions?
Remember that the plural suffix is completely optional in Klingon,
unlike in English. Read the TKD section on N2 suffixes. <tlhIngan>
can just as validly mean "Klingons" as "Klingon." <romuluSngan
tIHoH> unambiguously and grammatically means "Kill Romulans" or "Kill
the Romulans," just as surely as <romuluSnganpu' tIHoH> does.
The only case we know when it matters whether or not there is
actually a plural suffix on a word that is obviously plural from
context, is with a construction with Hoch. <Hoch tlhIngan> means
"every Klingon" and <Hoch tlhInganpu'> means "all the Klingons."
(This is from Marc Okrand in a HolQeD three or four issues ago.)
When it is not necessary to put on a plural suffix to convey a plural
meaning, I usually omit it. The expression <tlhIngan maH> could
conceivably be translated as "We are a Klingon" instead of "We are
Klingons" but "We are a Klingon" only makes sense in a symbolic
way -- and it's a fine symbol of unity -- so nothing is gained by
adding the -pu'. <tlhInganpu' maH> does mean "we are Klingons," but
try yelling them both and see which you prefer.
The final words on which is preferable are found in the very first
entry in TKW: <tlhIngan maH>. Obviously this is the one used by
Klingons themselves.
- tlhIngan ghaHbogh Qov'e'
(well, sometimes)