tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Jun 19 17:05:49 1997
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RE: KLBC: new words, once and for all
- From: "David Trimboli" <[email protected]>
- Subject: RE: KLBC: new words, once and for all
- Date: Fri, 20 Jun 97 00:03:24 UT
[email protected] on behalf of [email protected] wrote:
> SuStel the good (and patient) adviser
qatlho'. mumuS Hoch rut 'e' vIQub.
> > But it seems that many beginners in Klingon, especially those who don't
have
> English as their native language, experience the same difficulties : how can
> I express an everyday's life simple fact with tlhingan Hol?
Let me just say that it's a lot easier to speak a foreign language in person
than over the Internet.
> (this
> is a new word I just coined out ; I carefully checked in TKD it *doesn't*
> mean
> anything).
Oh god, the last person who coined a word to show that it doesn't exist ended
up causing the word to exist. PLEASE don't tell us what it means! :)
> But KLI is not a sect, nor is Marc Okrand a guru.
Sure seems that way sometimes. As much as I may disagree with some others on
matters of the language, and as much as it may cause me to appear as if I
resent any other vision of Klingon than my own, I do greatly appreciate
anyone's opinions. I have no problem with peHruS' belief that verbs can form
compounds, for example, and I harbor no ill-feelings towards him because of
it. In fact, I look forward to meeting him at qep'a' loSDIch, and I hope he
feels the same way about me.
> Some borderline derived
> words will unavoidably creep in -- I would bet that Klingons have adopted
> some
> Terran words (phonetically Klingonized for sure) as they adopted the decimal
> numeration.
Yeah, there's {nughI'} "give a noogie," though we're not entirely sure which
culture borrowed it from which . . .
> To conclude : I do understand peHruS is getting bored with {chu'law' mu'mey}
> (I mean "so-called new words" -- am I correct ?)
What you said was a complete sentence: "the words seem to be new." If you
were to use this as a noun phrase, you'd have to say it like this: {mu'meyqoq
chu'}
> but when you're new to a
> language you're bound to creating barbarisms. Did you ever think about the
> symmetric position ? a Klingon coming to Earth (sorry, {Terra'}) and seeing
> us eat with forks ? Which word would he use to describe this odd (to him)
> thing ?
But they DO use forks . . . !
Your point, of course, is perfectly valid. "I'll try some of your replicated
burned bird meat."
I imagine the following situation.
(A Klingon tourist visits a Terran shop.)
Terran: Hello! How are you?
Klingon: I want to buy dilithium crystals! NOW!!!
Terran (shaken): I'm sorry, sir, but you'll have to wait a moment.
Klingon (grabs Terran by collar): I said NOW you fool!
Terran: Please, sir, let go of me or I'll call the police. (Presses secret
"panic" button below desk.)
Klingon: Coward!! I'm going to kill you!
Police enter shop, see Klingon attacking Terran. They shoot him. The Klingon
dies without honor (for what's honorable about dying while bullying a weakling
Terran?). What a cultural travesty.
--
SuStel
Beginners' Grammarian
Stardate 97467.5