tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Jul 13 08:53:35 1998
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Re: nuqneH as greeting
- From: Robyn Stewart <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: nuqneH as greeting
- Date: Mon, 13 Jul 1998 08:52:29 -0700 (PDT)
---Anthony Appleyard <[email protected]> wrote:
> ghItlh Steven Boozer <[email protected]>:-
> "It is not infrequent to hear nonnative speakers of Klingon use
nuqneH "what
> do you want?" as if it meant "hello" or the like in exchanges such as:
> Speaker #1: nuqneH (see (1))
> Speaker #2: nuqneH (see (2))
> No one steeped in Klingon culture would do this, however (except in
some sort
> of a joking context, perhaps). To begin a conversation, just start!
...
>
> (1) But people can't simply `just start'. Greetings aren't simply
for
> politeness. I know by too much experience that #1 needs to say
<some> sort of
> call-attention word to get #2's attention, else #2 loses much of the
start of
> what the speaker said. Else #1 would get sick of being asked to
repeat what he
> said.
It's a different culture. There are plenty of ways to get someone's
attention. How about /SSS/ if you're giving an order, {SSS,
*brownie*meywIj tIwaH} or calling the name if you don't think the
person is listening? {Qov!} {nuqneH?} {ghoghoS}. Culturally, Klingons
don't expect the first thng a person says to be discardable, so they
pay attention. English speakers simply have a habit of starting
conversations with two useless statements, usually, "Hello" and "How
are you." They even do this in a one-on-one situation online, in an
environment where a person can read back to see missed text, so I on't
buy the "have to get their attention so they don't miss anything"
line.
>This can get wearisome: HochHom vIjatlhpu'bogh >vIjatlhqa' 'e' neHtaH
>SoSwI' 'e' rur.
> (2) #1 knows what he was going to ask or tell #2 about. #2 does
not know at
> the start. So in reply #2 must ask {nuqneH?}, in its literal
meaning, to tell
> #1 that he is listening.
That's why /yIjatlh/ was considered an appropriate rejoinder. In
English, by Klingon logic, "what do you want" would seem to be an
acceptable response to "how are you?" But it isn't. It's incredibly
rude. Putzing around with extra /nuqneH/s is rude to the Klingon,
because he's *expecting* you to start and is listening already.
==
Qov - Beginners' Grammarian
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