tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Aug 23 08:11:03 2000
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Re: tlhIngan "Tao" ?
[email protected] wrote:
>
> taghqIj:
> >> <chenmoHtaHwI'> - that which is always causing [things] to take
> >> form (the tao contains all things in potentiality, good and evil,
> >> female and male, light and dark, creative and destructive)
>
> I don't think any word translating "Tao" (in the Taoist sense) should
> have /-moH/ in it. It's too active... the "Tao" doesn't actively
> *cause* things to take form.
>
> Tao-mo' chen Hoch, 'ach pagh chenmoH Tao. {{=)
bIlughqu'! jabbI'IDvetlh vIghItlhtaHvIS jIyepHa'qu'bej.
> taghqIj:
> >> <Doch ponglaHbogh pagh> - the thing which cannot be named (to
> >> 'name' something means more than just to give it a label - it
> >> is to place it in some sort of context and/or hierarchy of
> >> entites - especially in ancient Chinese thought, i believe. the
> >> tao is completely beyond context or hierarchy. 'the tao which
> >> can be explained is not the true tao; the tao which can be
> >> named is not the true tao.')
>
> pagh:
> >There's no evidence that Klingon attaches this special meaning to the word
> ><pong> or to names. We do know that Klingons place quite a bit of value and
> >honor in family names, that's about the only special significance <pong> has
> >(that I know of), either as a noun or a verb.
don't we also know about <bang pongmey>, and the fact that they are
'almost never uttered' when someone other than the two <bangpu'> are
present? it seems to me that klingons think names are very important
indeed - but perhaps only the names of other klingons. i accept your
argument against the term, in any case - trying to explain an obscure
bit of philosophy by importing a second bit is clearly the wrong
approach..
> I think if you said to a Klingon that the Tao cannot be /pong/ed,
> he'd look at you funny and say: "Of course it can be named! Its name
> is the Tao!"
i believe that's the kind of response that humans often give, too ;)
> Philosophical subtlety doesn't seem to be very evident
> in what we've seen of Klingon culture. Klingon culture values
> directness; something that can't be named might sound terribly
> suspect.
bIqar.. but then, i think that the (old-school taoist) idea of the tao
would -be- terribly suspect to a Klingon, so perhaps it would be
fitting!
taghqIj