tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Mar 03 11:26:41 1999
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Higher math (was Re: time)
- From: "William H. Martin" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Higher math (was Re: time)
- Date: Wed, 3 Mar 1999 14:26:26 -0500 (Eastern Standard Time)
- In-Reply-To: <[email protected]>
- Priority: NORMAL
On Wed, 3 Mar 1999 08:24:30 -0800 (PST) Steven Boozer
<[email protected]> wrote:
> There are several more examples of large numbers on the new Klingon
> Bird-of-Prey poster (KBP), including one that answers Thornton's question:
>
> wejvatlh SochmaH vagh SaD cheb'a'mey ngI' Duj
> Mass: 8.7 KT
>
> This is literally "The ship weighs 375,000 {cheb'a'mey}" -- "375 {SaD}",
> pronounced just as the English "375 thousand". Note that both {SaD} and
> "thousand" are the singular forms, not the plural. So 20,000 is two words:
> {cha'maH SaD}.
I must say that I'm disappointed. For all the pride Okrand takes
in making Klingon not be encoded English, choices like these are
not impressive. It just seems lazy of him to not call this:
wejbIp Sochnetlh vaghSaD
But I certainly accept what he offers. If Okrand is going to
handle it the American way, in this kind of context, making
{SaD} a separate word makes a lot of sense.
I've been basing my use of spaces on the very clear explanation
in TKD 5.2 (page 53). He is very consistant in that whole
section. He only loosened up on this later on.
Looking at my own notes in the New Words List, I see that I have
mysteriously chosen {netlh} as somehow deserving exceptional
notice as a number forming element as opposed to a separate
number word. {maH} explicitly says it is a number forming
element in the word list. None of the other number words do.
Go figure.
> DloraH pointed out that in TKD (p171) and TKW (p127) we have the proverb:
>
> qaStaHvIS wa' ram loS SaD Hugh SIjlaH qetbogh loD
> 4,000 throats may be cut in one night by a running man.
>
> where {loS SaD} is also spelled as two words. (Other canonical examples
> with {SaD} come from the audiotapes or movie soundtracks, so we can't see
> how Okrand wrote them.) It seems that some number elements can be written
> as separate words and do not necessarily have to be combined as a type of
> suffix. Perhaps there is some kind of subtle difference between {loSSaD}
> and {loS SaD}, analogous to "four thousand" and "four thousands", possibly
> pronounced with or without a slight pause between the words. Or the
> proverb may include a {no' Hol} form of the number. We really need that
> basic Klingon math text Pagh mentioned!
Agreed.
> Speaking of which... is Okrand's math right? One {cheb} = ca. 2.25 kg/5
> lbs, and according to charghwI's interview with Okrand one {cheb'a'} = 9
> {chebmey}. So the BoP weighs ca. 7,593,750 kg. Where did the 8.7 KT
> figure come from? Is a kiloton one million tons?
This is obviously a mess.
> --
> Voragh
> Ca'Non Master of the Klingons
charghwI' 'utlh