tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Mar 13 09:21:32 1998
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Re: Sor Hap - Some musings
- From: Steven Boozer <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: Sor Hap - Some musings
- Date: Fri, 13 Mar 1998 11:18:18 -0600 (CST)
charghwI' wrote:
: According to Terrence Donnelly:
: > only indicates that there is no common word for "wood". As Voragh (?)
: > and ghunchu'wI' (?) noted, there is the phrase {baS 'etlh}. In fact, this
: > phrase actually confirms that earlier idea: {Sor Hap 'In}
Careful ter'eS. I can't find {baS 'etlh} used in canon, only {Sor Hap 'In}
"a type of percussion instrument made of wood" (KGT 75). Either {*baS
'etlh} was used in someone's post, prompting this particular thread, or
you're confusing it with {batlh 'elth} Kahless' famous "sword of honor". We
also have {Ho' 'elth} "a serrated blade" (lit., "tooth blade"), mentioned in
the discussion of the kut'luch (KGT 61f).
: > 2. The phrase {Sor Hap} convinces me that {Hap} = "matter, stuff, the
: > substance out of which something is formed" and not "matter, topic,
: > problem".
{Hap} was already glossed as "matter (substance)" in TKD and, for what it's
worth, defined on MSN as "Anything that has mass and volume." Clearly {Hap}
is the antonym of {rugh}, glossed as "antimatter (substance)" in TKD and
defined on MSN as "Highly volatile substance used for energy and propulsion
aboard some space vessels." Matter-antimatter engines have been a
Treknological staple from the beginning. For the latter meaning "matter,
topic, problem" we have {ghu'}, {potlh}, {wanI'}, etc.
: > 4. (WARNING: Idle speculation follows) The fact that there seems to be
: > no simple word for 'wood' leads me to wonder if there are few types of trees
: > in the Klingon flora that yield wood suitable for construction or for
: > handiwork. I imagine the Klingon landscape to be dominated by shrubs {lav}
: > and maybe grasses {tIr?} and bamboo-like plants. Is there a common name
: > for the substance of these sorts of plants? Maybe, {nIn}?
:
: jISaHbe'. Of course, we see wooden items in their architecture,
: furniture and accessories on the CD, in the movies and TV...
We've never really seen how Klingons live outside of urban and military,
primarily naval, settings. In other words, where are the rural Klingons,
the farmers, peasants, animal breeders and ranchers? After all, someone has
to grow the crops and raise the food animals in the Empire; even in the 24th
century, Klingons still aren't particularly fond of replicated food. I
wonder if that's why Okrand has never revealed the word for "food
replicator" - Klingons may not use them.
Prior to {Sor Hap} appearing in KGT, I speculated that the word for "wood"
was simply {Sor} "tree", there likely being no special word for the
processed vs. the raw material, like {baS} "metal" or {DIr} "skin" (also
"leather"? cf. however {veDDIr} "pelt" [skin with fur {veD} still attached]
in KGT 58). Now however, I wonder if {*baS Hap} might refer to processed,
refined, machined metal vs. the raw, mined {baS}?
Voragh