tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Nov 24 10:14:49 1997

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Re: so-called Romulan ale



> If some meat is sold as {Qa'} and it actually is {Sargh}, then it 
> is {Qa'qoq}. No query here.

bIlugh. qay'be'.

> But when in matter about the 1914-1918 
> war I read of "the so-called Spanish Flu, which actually was first 
> detected in the USA", a query arose.

The "so-called Spanish Flu" is itself an ambiguous phrase.  In the 
chronicles of the war, it was probably the Spanishness that was in 
doubt, but if you heard Qov wasn't going to answer any more 
ghuy'cha' KLBCs because she had "the so-called Spanish Flu," you'd 
probably guess that it was the fluness of my malady that was in 
doubt.

> If some ale is sold as Romulan 
> ale but it actually comes from Morska, then it is "so-called 
> Romulan ale"; but in Klingon where does the -qoq go? Try {romuluS 
> HIqqoq}; despite its origin it at least is not HIqqoq but HIq: 
> genuine ale, not "so-called ale". 

I'd read {romuluS HIqqoq} as dubious Romulan ale.  I couldn't guess 
if it was water with blue food colouring of Romulan origin, or 
genuine ale of Morskan origin, but my first assumption was that
it was something represented as Romulan ale, that wasn't.  {romuluS 
HIqqoq} could also be the Romulan version of dealcoholized beer, 
although we have canon (TKW) for {HIq ngeb} with that meaning.

> Try {romuluSqoq HIq}; "ale from so-called Romulus"; this 
> seems to say that I do not recognize the State of Romulus, which is 
> not my intended meaning.

I think you could read it either way.  If you were not known to be
opposed of the political recognition of Romulus but you were known to 
be a connoiseur of its ales, I'd recognize this as expressing doubt 
about the origin of the blue liquid you were sampling.  You'd have to 
be a pretty rabid objector to recognition of Romulus to refer to 
Romulan ale that way.  It would be a bit like saying "Communist 
oppressors of Tibet noodles" for Chinese noodles.  

> Try more 
> wordily {romulIuSvo' qenglu'boghqoq HIq'e'}; "ale which was
> so-called-carried from Romulus"; but I can't use -qoq on 
> verbs.

Uh-uh.  No way.  Don't even think about it.

- Qov


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