tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Apr 22 11:55:48 1999
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Re: TKD and canon
QeHHoS wrote:
: tlhIngan mu'ghom vIje'ta' . mu'mey puS ghaj 'oH .
Which is why you should also get "Klingon for the Galactic Trveller" (KGT),
which collects all the words coined after TKD (appearing in CK, PK, TKW,
KCD, SkyBox cards, etc.) and a lot more besides. It's also an entertaining
read. Unfortunately, as is the nature of things Klingon, KGT is already
out of date; it doesn't have the new words from the recently published
Cutaway BoP poster.
: How can we say the following: politics, nation, do, make ,my heart is
: yours.
It's always a good idea to provide the sentence you're trying to translate,
or a little bit of context. As you've discovered, translating isolated
words doesn't always work.
: politics
: How do you find lawqech for the first one?
{law'} "be many" + {qech} "idea" = "multiple idea-ness"? We don't combine
nouns and verbs to make a compound noun like this, however accurately it
may describe politics in a democracy. (True, Okrand sometimes does this,
but it's his language.) Besides, this could be interpreted as "discord" or
"disagreement" without an explanation.
{woQ} "authority, political power" and {woQ'a'} "ultimate power" should
work where you mean politics as a pursuit or profession:
ngoDvam luchavmeH ghawran maghpu' be'nI'pu'. woQ luSuqmeH jIjpu'
chaH romuluSngan'e' je.
To this end, the sisters have acted against Gowron, going as far as
to work with Romulan factions in order to gain power. (SkyBox S26)
When politics means a policy (e.g. the politics of appeasement or
*glasnost'* {ghIlaSnoS}!), then use {nab} "plan, procedure". Sometimes
{qech} "idea", {tuH} "adventure", {ta'} "deed, accomplishment" or {Qu'}
"duty, quest, mission, operation" will also work. It all depends on the
whole thought.
: nation
There is {Sep} "region, country" from KGT. Here is an extended quotation
(pp.16f.) you may find helpful:
Within the land mass are distinct areas, some of which are demarcated
geographically (divided by a mountain range, for example), while the
boundaries of others seem rather arbitrary, the result, no doubt, of
ancient power struggles. A specific area whose borders are definable,
by whatever means, is normally called a {Sep}, commonly translated as
"region", though, since the regions were politically distinct in the
past, "country" might have at one time been just as appropriate a
translation. An identifiable area within a {Sep} is a {yoS} (area,
district), and a {yoS} usually contains at least one important {veng}
(city); though sometimes, especially in the more rugged parts of a
planet, there may be only a small settlement or {vengHom} [village]).
This terminology is also used when describing other planets within
the Empire. Regions are sometimes identified by the name of the most
prominent city within the region. Thus, the region containing the
First City is simply called {veng wa'DIch Sep} (First City region) and
{voSpegh Sep} (Vospeg region, southwest of the First City--to use
directional terms familiar to speakers of Federation Standard) is named
after the city of Vospeg. Other regions have names that are distinct
from the names of any districts or cities within them, such as the
large {Sa'Qej Sep} (Sakrej region), several thousand kilometers east
of the First City. The origins of most Klingon place names are not
known, having been lost to history. Sometimes, however, the meaning of
a place name is clear, such as the Sakrej region's {HuD beQ yoS} (Flat
Mountain district) and, of course, {veng wa'DIch} (First City). On rare
occasions, a place's name can be traced to an individual or family, such
as {Qotmagh Sep} (Krotmag region), derived from Qotmagh, the leader of a
powerful house who, centuries ago, conquered neighboring areas, or
{ruq'e'vet} (Ruk'evet), a city in the {ghevchoq Sep} (Gevchok region),
named for a warrior (whether actual or mythological is a matter of
dispute) who singlehandedly defeated an invading force.
Don't confuse {Sep} with {Hatlh} "country" which refers to the surrounding
countryside in the sense of city vs. country.
Hatlh Dab Qugh.
Kruge lives (out) in the country.
Depending on what you want to say, {wo'} "empire" or {qum} "government"
might do.
: do
"Do" what? You need to translate the entire thought. There are however
some general words: {vang} "take action}, {ta'} "accomplish", {ruch}
"proceed, go ahead, do it".
: make
"Make" what? Make do, make love, make war, make amends, make a mistake,
etc.? There is a general {chenmoH} "build, form, make, create":
... {chenmoH} "he/she makes, creates" could be translated "he/she
causes to take shape" ({chen} "take form, take shape"), but this
is an awkward English phrase. (TKD p.38)
tIjwI'ghom vIchenmoH.
I form a boarding party.
("This sentence might also be translated 'I cause a boarding party
to be formed'." [TKD p.38] or even "I make a boarding party".)
For lack of a better word, you could say for instance {qa'vIn vIchenmoH} "I
make coffee", though a Klingon would say {vut} "cook/prepare food" - which
we know from KGT (p.83) also refers to making beverages in addition to
solid food.
: my heart is yours
You can't use the possessive suffixes by themselves in Klingon as you can
in English. You need to repeat the noun:
tIqlIj 'oH tIqwIj'e'.
Literally, "My heart is your heart." Don't forget to add the suffix {-'e'}
to the subject in equational sentences of this sort.
Hope this helps.
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons