tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sat Nov 15 10:41:24 1997

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RE: bIQ'a' Doq bIngDaq

ghItlh Anthony.Appleyard:

>In English a scuba diver can say "dive" = "be underwater" and "descend" for
>"while in the water, go deeper". In Klingon in the above case both alike
>would
>be {ghIr}, risking unclearness in the middle of fast action commands. After
>c.300 scuba dives I appreciate such things.

Now you are entering the domain of specialized jargon. As I lack your
experience as a SCUBA diver, I won't second-guess the distinction you draw.
But two points remain. First, vocal utterances are impossible at 100 feet
below the ocean's surface, so all communication must be through hand signals
and/or writing. Since we don't know anything about <pIqaD> for certain, it
is possible that the distinction might be taken care of. (Yes, there may be
voice-communication technology in the future of diving, but would the
Klingons bother to develop it? Read on...)

Secondly, we know that Klingons have a distaste for immersing themselves in
water. It is highly likely that the jargon necessary to draw the distinction
you describe never developed on <Qo'noS>. Vocabulary follows need - and if
Klingons avoid swimming because it is too much like bathing, why would they
need such distinctions? I may be wrong, but it is an important fact to
consider. Perhaps Klingons do not SCUBA dive as a rule - if I'm right, those
few who might try it would likely borrow the terminology needed from
Federation Standard or another language. (Just as ballet uses French terms
all over the place - you can say 'sur la pointe' in English, but why
bother?)

Qermaq

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