tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed May 12 19:19:23 1999

Back to archive top level

To this year's listing

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]

Re: SachtaH Holmaj!

jatlh qa'ral:

>I reread my last message and wasn't sure that even I understood what I was
>trying to say.  QInvamDaq jInIDqa':
>
>If /qagh vIparHa'/ can only be *I don't dislike gagh*,

"I don't dislike qagh" would be {qagh vIparbe'}
{qagh vIparHa'} is either "*I undo disliking qagh", i.e. I used to dislike
it, but now I like it, or "*I dis-dislike qagh" which becomes "I like qagh"
because the two "dis-" cancel each other out. (The "do something
wrong"-interpretation doesn't make much sense in this particular example.)

>then how would you translate *I like gagh*?

see above

>The English phrases are not equivalent.  Worse yet, /yIH vIparHa'be'/,
>which seems a natural enough thing to say in Klingon, becomes *I don't not
>dislike tribbles*.

I'll disregard the translation, but for "I don't like tribbles" I'd just say
{yIH vIpar}.

>
>My only point is that if /vIparHa'/ is the simplest and most natural way of
>saying *I like it* in Klingon, then /qamuSHa'/ may be just as natural a way
>of saying *I love you* (though the negative construction and "mushiness" of
>the word may be a clue as to Klingon cultural attitudes).
>

{qamuSHa'} lo'laHlaw' vay'. {bangwI' SoH} lo'laHbej vay'. latlh mu'tlheghmey
lo'laHbej vay'. chaq {tIqwIj DameQmoH} jatlhlaH vay'.

>Still, the next time I fall in love with a Klingon, I'm definitely going to
>use /bangwI' SoH/.  (Dare I suggest that /bang/ is also a pun, or have I
>gone too far this time?)

This reminds me of a song title. Just to give you an example of a horribly
bad case of literal translation: bangDaq pumlu'DI' qIvvaD let...

>
>qa'ral
>

HovqIj

Back to archive top level