tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Jun 27 00:14:52 1997
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KLBC Re: vItIch chIswI' jiH
David Trimboli wrote:
> jatlh cha'wIgh:
>
> > > vItich chISHey Doch
> > > This is my translation of I insult the porcelain - a euphemism for
>
> > > gotta
> > > go...
>
> The first thing you must do is reread TKD's section 6. The beginning
> describes Klingon sentence order: Object - Verb - Subject.
>
> If you're doing the insulting, you are the subject. Therefore {jIH}
> goes
> last.
>
> {chIS} is a verb, not a noun (look it up). If you're talking about a
> "white
> thing," you are talking about {chISwI'} "thing which is white." This
> word is
> formed by adding the Type 9 verb suffix {-wI'} to {chIS}.
>
> Now here's the problem: we don't know the word for "porcelein," and
> {chISwI'}
> could refer to anything white. {chISwI'} isn't enough.
>
> The closest you can get is {"porcelein" vItIch}.
>
> > > I couldn't find a word for porcelain or bowl or even hole
>
> In this case, perhaps a euphemism isn't really appropriate. I doubt
> Klingons
> are squeamish about bodily waste. The word for "toilet" is {puch}.
> I'm sure that if you hadn't heard the expression before you'd have to
> think about what it really meant : in the same way vItIch chISwI' jIH
> makes you think about it - so that's close enough for me : after all I
> want to retain some of its character.
> > > For my next attempt I will write in Klingon and ask for someone to
>
> > > translate to see if I have it right.
> > > nuqDaq naS ro'qegh'Iwchab
>
> "Where is the Rokeg Bloodpie vicious?"
>
> Whatever that means
Well, it means I've made the same mistake with the word order and I
didn't get away with using vicious to mean tangy.nuqDaq ro'qegh'Iwchab
naS - I think is the correct word order.
How about - nuqDaq ro'qegh'Iwchab wIbwI'. I'm not sure about this
because there appears to be no verb since wIb has effectively become an
adjective.
yItIv jajvam
cha'wIgh