tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Mar 18 08:20:31 1999

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tlhIngan HuchQeD



quljIb:
>Speaking of commerce, what weights and values do Klingons use in thie
>monetary system? (Assuming they have one; <Huch> is translated in TKD
>as 'money', but the meaning is probably something closer to 'wealth'.) 

DloraH: 
: We have a word for wealth (n) - mIp.  We also have:
: 	DeQ - credit (monetary unit) (n)
: 	DarSeq - darsek, unit of currency (n)
: But as you stated, they are ferengi.

I don't know about that, unless you mean that talking about money is
Ferengi-like behavior.  The darsek seems to be a native Klingon unit of
currency used among themselves, and as term for "money" in general:

	Since there are any number of phrases involving money that could be 
	taken the wrong way if {Huch} is pronounced {Quch}, many tourists 
	follow the Klingon practice of using the term {DarSeqmey} ... to 
	refer to money in general. Thus, "You lack money" would be {DarSeqmey 
	DaHutlh} (literally, "You lack darseks"). (KGT 194) 

Physically, the darsek is a coin in TNG "First Born":  Worf gave a street
vendor a couple of coins for a bag of dried gagh while he and others from
the Enterprise were watching the Kot'Baval Festival, commemorating Kahless
killing of the tyrant Molor, at the Klingon outpost on Maranga IV (?).
Later, Alexander wanted some money from his father to give to a man who
offered to show him Molor's head in a box for five darseks.

As for the credit {DeQ}, it may well be the currency used for dealing with
off-worlders and aliens - possibly even a "virtual currency" existing only
in electronic financial accounts in PADDs and other computers, rather like
the eurodollar now in Europe.  There are no examples in canon of Klingons
dealing in credits with other Klingons.  We know that the Federation uses
"credits" as their internal currency, though it seems Starfleet personnel
sometimes use strips of latinum, at least in border regions or when dealing
with Ferengi.  The Klingon merchant in "Power Klingon" charged the Terran
tourist 2000 credits for an unspecified number of dilithium crystals and,
in the second version of the scene, 5000 credits for 60 ion triggers:

	vaghSaD DeQ HInob! 
	Give me 5,000 credits! PK 

>From the scene, we don't know how the Terran physically transferred his
credits to the merchant.  Did he hand over coins or paper currency, use a
credit or debit chip, or key in his authorization code or press his
thumbprint on an accounting PADD?  

{Huch}, the term for money in general, has been used so:

	Huch 'ar DaneH? 
	How much money do you want? TKD

	Dochvetlh DIlmeH Huch 'ar DaneH?
	How much do you want for that? TKD 

	Huch nobHa'bogh verenganpu''e' yIvoqQo' 
	Don't trust Ferengi who give back money. TKW

	Huch DaHutlh 
	You lack money. KGT 

It also appears in the compound noun {HuchQeD} "economics" (literally
"money science") in KGT (p.148). {mIp} was first known to us as the verb
"be rich" in TKD; the noun {mIp} "wealth" first appeared in PK:

	DojneS mIplIj. 
	Your wealth is impressive, your honor. PK

The gloss "richness" was added in KGT.


-- 
Voragh                       
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons



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