tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sat May 10 12:04:18 1997

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Re: Notes on Klingon Cursing (revised)



charghwI'vo':

While I appreciate all the work you have done cataloging Klingon 
curse words, more than anything I want to thank you for citing 
the sources so I know which entries to ignore. While you are 
comprehensive, you lack discretion. TKD, KCD or the audiotapes 
are acceptable sources. Recently, it has been revealed that the 
MSN database has been corrupted by Paramount. Some of the 
definitions were never even seen by Okrand before they were 
posted. I no longer count the MSN database as a source for 
anything about the language.

I do count anything written by Okrand in his forum to be canon, 
though such an event is sufficiently rare that it is not all 
that challenging to track. Except for a couple words in Sarek, I 
ignore all the novels. The author claims to have gotten words 
from Okrand from the book, though her use of the language shows 
such blatent lack of understanding that I basically only count 
nouns I have not seen before. When I see things like {lam be'}, 
I ignore it because I see it as "dirty woman" written by someone 
who looked the words up sequentially in TKD without the dimmest 
clue about how to speak the langauge. When I see {norgh}, I 
accept that as a new word because I've never seen it before and 
it shows no signs of corruption. It looks like an Okrandian word 
and her use of it doesn't make my skin crawl.

When I read something ~mark suggests, like that {ghay'cha'} is a 
weaker variant on {ghuy'cha'}, I find it interesting, but put no 
faith in its accuracy. {ghuy'cha'} comes quite naturally more 
forcefully to my lips than {ghay'cha'}, so I'll tend toward that 
useage, myself as well, but if tomorrow Okrand says {ghay'cha'} 
is a stronger curseword, then he is simply right and ~mark is 
wrong and ~mark will be the first to admit it. You failed to 
include the most significant statement in the HolQeD article you 
cite: "DISCLAIMER: Unless otherwise noted, everything here is 
pretty much out of my own head, with NO official weight behind 
it, and is based mostly on my own prejudices and native-language 
influences."

That said, I'll offer back to you the entries I accept. Like in 
anything of this sort, I, too, am being arbitrary. The world is 
not black and white, but has many colors. I'm accepting those 
things which ring true to my own understanding of the canon 
we've been offered.

On Fri, 9 May 1997 11:15:58 -0700 (PDT)  Steven Boozer 
<[email protected]> wrote:


>                          NOTES ON KLINGON CURSING
>                                      
> The Klingon Dictionary, 5.5 (p. 58):
> "Also included in the category of exclamations are Klingon curses. Only
> three such curses have been noted to date:
>         QI'yaH      *?!#@
>         ghuy'cha'   *@$%
>         Qu'vatlh    #*@!
>  
> The Klingon Dictionary, 5.5 Addendum (p. 178):
> "As it turns out, cursing is a fine art among Klingons. There are many more
> curses than those three listed in the earlier edition of the dictionary. It
> is not always clear how to use the curses, but some are certainly
> epithetical (used for name-calling), while others seem to have a more
> general application. A few additional curses are listed below:
>         Epithets                General invective
>         petaQ                       va
>         toDSaH                      ghay'cha'
>         taHqeq                      baQa'
>         yIntagh                     Hu'tegh
>         Qovpatlh
>  
> Conversational Klingon:
> "Keep in mind that Klingon cursing is considered a fine art, a highly-
> prized verbal skill. Those who have gained a mastery of this segment of
> Klingon vocabulary are greatly admired. At this point, do not concern
> yourselves with the exact translations of these words. If you spend time
> with Klingons, you will hear them often enough and context will make the
> meanings quite clear."
>  
> The Klingon Way (p. 148):
> "Cursing, or swearing, is considered a fine art among Klingons. One who
> curses well is the recipient of a great deal of respect; one who does not
> curse well may not be worthy enough to be called Klingon. ...  The commonly
> heard sendoff "Curse well!"--roughly comparable in usage to the Federation
> Standard "Good luck!"--literally means, "Shoot curses forcefully!" Curses
> are considered a weapon of a sort which must be propelled to their
> targets."
>  
> First, some vocabulary for talking about cursing:
>  
> mu'qaD   a curse PK, an insult [N.B. not as in "I put a curse upon you and
>     your house" or anything like that. Nor is it a swear word. Okrand
>     intended this as a term for covering the sort of give-and-take name
>     calling that Klingons might indulge in such as "dishonored son of a
>     Rigellian spice merchant." (Lawrence Schoen) - matay'DI' vIHtaHbogh bIQ
>     rur mu'qaDmey Between us, curses run like water. PK - pe'vIl mu'qaDmey
>     tIbach Curse well! ["The commonly heard sendoff `Curse well!'--roughly
>     comparable in usage to the Federation Standard `Good luck!'--literally
>     means, `Shoot curses forcefully!'" TKW: 148]
>  
> mu'qaD veS   curse-warfare PK - taghbej mu'qaD veS Curse-warfare has
>     definitely begun. PK
>  
> tIch   insult -
>     quvwIj DatIchpu', tera'ngan [You have insulted my honor, Terran.] PK -
>     tlhIngan quv DatIchDI' Seng yIghuH When you insult a Klingon's honor,
>     prepare for trouble. TKW
>  
> And finally, here's a list of the known curses themselves compiled from
> various sources. 
>  
> baQa'   b'aka (general invective) 
>  
> DenIb Qatlh   Denebian slime devil [listed in the "Curses" section of the
>     KCD Language Lab.] (syn. DenIbya' Qatlh) - Trying to provoke a fight
>     with some Enterprise crewmen in the bar on Deep Space Station K-7,
>     Korax called Capt Kirk as a "Denebian Slime Devil." (The Trouble With
>     Tribbles)
>  
> ghay'cha'   general invective 
>  
> ghuy'cha'   guy'cha. "Here's another word with strong force. A Klingon
>     might say it after receiving an unsettling communique. It's a lot
>     stronger than the Terran `Darn it!'" (CK) 
>  
> Ha'DIbaH   Klingon word meaning "animal" and usable as an epithet.
>     - Kruge, whose gunner destroyed
>     the target (failing to merely disable it as ordered), called him
>     Ha'DIbaH after blasting him. (ST3) - Worf's father has been accused of
>     having aided the Romulans in attacking the Khitomer Outpost. When
>     K'mpec reveals to him that the traitor was in fact Duras' father,
>     Ja'rod, Worf points at Duras and shouts, "This Ha'DIbaH should have
>     been fed to the dogs!" (Sins of the Father) - Duras and Gowron are both
>     anxious to fight each other for leadership of the High Council. Before
>     that can be done, Picard must, as Arbiter of Succession, formally name
>     them both as candidates. As Picard enters the conference room, Duras
>     says: "The Council must have a leader now! Complete the rite so I can
>     kill this Ha'DI baH!" (Reunion) - Jadzia is persuading Kor to convince
>     Kang and Koloth to take her with them to a trip of vengeance. Kor says
>     he can't convince Kang if he has made his mind. Jadzia says he can. Kor
>     self-pityingly says his best days are behind him. Jadzia comforts him
>     and says that in her memories he is a great warrior, and leaves. Kor,
>     touched and almost in tears, mutters: "You devious little hadeebah."
>     (Blood Oath)
>  
> HuH  bile PK, gall TKW, slime [in the "Curses" section of KCD: "This word
>     literally means `bile.'"]
>  
> Hu'tegh   (excl! not a verb, a general invective) 
>  
> jay'   intensely (adverbial) "This word not only intensifies whatever is
>     being said, it turns the whole phrase into an invective. Alone among
>     the adverbials, jay' always comes at the end of the sentence." (TKD:
>     177) [It's a "generic grammatical intensifier" (Mark Shoulson, HQ 3.1)]
>     - qaStaH nuq jay' What the #$%@ is happening? mIch 'elpu' jay' They've
>     entered the @#$% sector! TKD - SoH 'Iv jay' [Who the hell are you?]
>     qaStaH nuq jay' [What the hell is happening?] ST6 - ghaytanHa' jay' Not
>     bloody likely! RTb - *ghobe' jay' Hell no! (KLI mailing list), No
>     fucking way! (Proechel)
>  
> nuchpu'   cowards [listed in the "Curses" section of the KCD Language Lab]
>  
> petaQ   "No
>     appropriate translation for this epithet has yet been found." (KCD)
>  
> qagh Sopbe'   He doesn't eat gagh! ["Everyone loves gagh, so if one is not
>     eating it, something must be wrong. This expression is used to to mean
>     that there is something wrong with someone or that someone is acting
>     suspiciously. It is also a way to refer to someone as a coward. For
>     Klingons ... this is a rather mild dismissive remark, not a strong
>     insult." TKW: 137]
>  
> qoH  fool, idiot (as epithet) - "qoH!" "You did not engage
>     the cloaking device fast enough. They have detected us." (Gowron in KCD
>     novel p. 101) - "She's not dwelling in the past, like this qoH."
>     (Sarek)
>  
> Qatlh   slime devil (cf. DenIb Qatlh) - "Two to one ... Even a Federation
>     Qtalh [sic] like you can figure those odds." (The Ashes of Eden)
>  
> Qa'Hom  "little animal" (e.g. Ligonian titmouse) KCD ["The translation
>     `titmouse' is really only an approximation of what this word means. A
>     Qa'Hom is a small animal considered rather insignificant. The word
>     literally means `little Qa'.' A Qa' is a larger, more dangerous animal.
>     A Qa'Hom is not a young Qa', but it does bear a vague resemblence to
>     its namesake." (Note: the picture is of a small, four-footed rodent
>     with a lot of hair.) KCD] [As portrayed in the still visual in the
>     Language Lab, this bears no resemblance whatever to the small Terran
>     bird called a "titmouse" but looks more like a small, four-footed
>     rodent with a lot of hair, like a hedgehog. (Someone probably didn't
>     realize that a titmouse is a bird!) It sounds like Okrand was aware of
>     the error and tried to explain it away. Note that the entry on Qa'Hom
>     is in the "Curses" section of the program. The word Qa'Hom can
>     apparently be applied to someone (or some animal) that may act like
>     it's a viscious Qa' but is, in fact, just a little, harmless creature,
>     fluffing itself up to make itself look bigger. Calling someone a Qa'Hom
>     obviously implies that he is weak and unable to defend himself, and
>     thus not worth killing. (This is how Gowron uses it in the introduction
>     to the KCD Immersion Studies.)]
>  
> QI'yaH  "This is one of the strongest,
>     most foul expressions in the Klingon language. It defies adequate
>     translation." (KCD) ["Shows disgust or repulsion with a thing or
>     situation." (Mark Shoulson, HQ 3.1)] - "The bartender," I said.
>     "QI'yaH. Are You sure, Pakled?" (KCD novel p. 106) "You are too late,"
>     she said. "He is gone." "Where?" She shook her head. "I wish I knew."
>     "QI'yaH." (KCD novel p. 108)
>  
> Qovpatlh  (epithet) - 
>  
> Qu'vatlh  #*@! (expletive!) "This is something you might hear someone
>     say in moments of extreme anger. Be concerned if you hear it." (CK)
>     "The invective va is actually just a shortened form of Qu'vatlh." (TKD:
>     178) 
>  
> taHqeq   (epithet) "If you call someone this, stand back! This is a
>     classic insult." (CK) 
>  
> toDSaH   "This is something one
>     Klingon would call another if they weren't on the best of terms." (CK)
>  
> tu'HomIraH   t'oohomIrah.  "something useless"
>     KCD, dunsel, "good-for-nothing" - HurDaq tu'HomIraHvetlh yIlan Get that
>     piece of junk out of here! KCD

Really? I'll have to look at the CD again. I don't remember that 
sentence.

> - Three old Klingons arrive on DS9 to
>     pick up Curzon Dax for a trip of vengeance he was bound to with a blood
>     oath. Instead of Curzon they find Jadzia, who feels compelled to take
>     Curzon's place even though the Klingons release her from the oath. Kor
>     is on her side and eventually she manages to impress Koloth with her
>     skills with the bat'leth, but Kang remains adamant. At that point Kor
>     asks him, "Why do you dismiss her like some useless t'ooho'mIrah?"
>     (Blood Oath)
>  
> va   "The invective va is actually just a shortened form of
>     Qu'vatlh." (TKD: 178)
>  
> veQ   garbage. When used as an epithet, one should enunciate clearly. The
>     KCD entry mentions that the word veH "boundary" carries no negative
>     connotations at all. - Then speaking to Pok, but looking directly into
>     Vok's face, [K'Tar] said, "Throw this veQ out." Pok stood and moved
>     toward Vok, reaching for the unwanted guest. "bIyem'a'!" Vok said. Pok
>     stopped short of grabbing Vok. ... "The celebration," Vok said, "was
>     declared a lop'no. You have invited the spirits of all our Klingon
>     ancestors. Tradition dictates that all are welcome to the lop 'no. Even
>     ancient rivals. Even me, K'Tar." "Chut Quj," K'Tar said. "Luq ratlh,"
>     Pok said, almost spitting his words at Vok. (KCD novel p. 23f) "Get
>     this veQ off my bridge." (KCD novel p. 106) "When we catch this veQ of
>     a bartender," I said to Pok, "I will let you have the honor of killing
>     him." (KCD novel p. 107) Qua'lon jumped to his feet, clearly outraged.
>     "The wife of the veQ who killed my brother may not enter the House of
>     SepIch." (KCD novel p. 166)

Note that I have VERY little respect for Klingon words tossed 
into English sentences. It tells us nothing of how a word is to 
be properly used. Most of the time, they are nouns because 
tera'nganpu' are so fond of them. [Note, I just tossed a Klingon 
noun into an English sentence. Does that alone make me a Klingon 
speaker?]

>  
> verengan Ha'DIbaH   Ferengi dog (a classic insult). "This phrase literally
>     means `Ferengi animal,' but translating it as `Ferengi dog' carries
>     more of the flavor of the insult." (KCD)
>  
> wejpuH   Charming! (a mild expletive used only ironically) - Kruge
>     exclaims, "wejpuH!" at the thought of living peacefully on one of the
>     new terraformed worlds, mass produced with the Genesis Device, with the
>     flag of the Federation fluttering overhead. ST3
>  
> yIntagh   Yintagh. "This is one of a number of Klingon curses that doesn't
>     have an adequate translation." (KCD) "
>  
> Abbreviations used:
>     HQ = HolQeD (the journal of the Klingon Language Institute)
>     MSN = featured word on MSN's Star Trek: Continuum Klingon Forum
>     MSN dB = Klingon Database on MSN's Star Trek: Continuum
>     STE = the Okudas' The Star Trek Encyclopedia
>  
> I want to thank those who shared some of their own notes from KCD with me. 
> One of these days I'm going to finally get a computer capable of running
> this program. As always, don't hesitate to let me know (off-list if you
> prefer) if I've made any errors or omitted anything from the sea of
> available Trek. If I've mis-attributed or misquoted anyone's comments, tell
> me and I'll correct my notes.  vay' quv vItIch 'e' vIneHbe'bej! 
> 
> 
> -- Voragh

charghwI'





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