tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu May 20 22:56:41 1999

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Malapropisms



naDev mu'mey lo'Ha'lu'bogh chovnatlhmey puS vInob.
Here I give some examples of misused words.

Hoch chovnatlhDaq mu'tlhegh wa'DIch qawnISlu' 
'ej mu'tlhegh cha'DIch DoHnISlu'. 
In each example, the first sentence should be remembered 
and the second one avoided.

1. HIja', qaH!   ‘Yes, sir!’
/= HIja', qoH!   ‘Yes, fool!’ 

2. baH! ‘Fire!’
/= baQ! ‘Clown around! Play the fool! Display bravado without
         skill!’

3. yIDughqu'!  ‘Be highly vigilant!’
/= yIDoghqu'!  ‘Be highly foolish, silly!’ 

4. DuywI' 'oH;  potlhqu'. ‘He’s my agent; he’s very
                           important.’
/= Duy'wI' 'oH; notlhqu'. ‘He’s a defective one; he’s very
                           obsolete.’ 

5. pa' latlhDaq QottaH. ‘He’s reclining in the other room.’ 
/= pa' latlhDaq QuttaH. ‘He’s being vulgar in the other room.’ 

6. tlhab HInob ghap Hegh HInob! ‘Give me freedom or give me death!’
/= chab HInob ghap Hegh HInob! ‘Give me pie or give me death!’  

--jey'el



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