tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Jan 06 13:31:57 2000
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tlhIngan "messagebox"
- From: "William H. Martin" <[email protected]>
- Subject: tlhIngan "messagebox"
- Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2000 16:31:29 -0500 (Eastern Standard Time)
- In-Reply-To: <[email protected]>
- Priority: NORMAL
On 06 Jan 2000 22:02:00 +0200 Regina Reusser
<[email protected]> wrote:
> "messagebox" vIchenmoHmeH, tlhIngan Hol vIlo'pu vIneH, 'ach mu'mey
> vItlhapnISpu' vISovpu'be'.
> How would you say per example: "Hello, you are on Regina's messagebox.
> Please leave your message after the signal, and I will call you back as
> soon as possible" in Klingon?
I'm not answering as a BG dealing with grammar. I'm answering as
a Klingon speaker with a strong opinion.
First: If people are calling you and your answering machine
speaks to them in Klingon, most will not understand, so it
becomes less important to get this right.
Second: If people who call you DO understand Klingon, all your
answering machine has to say is, {nuqneH!} It basically means,
"What do you want?" This is the perfect thing for a Klingon
answering machine to say. Anything else is wasting time.
Do you really think that anyone who knows how to speak Klingon
and knows that you speak Klingon would call your number, hear
{nuqneH!} and think that maybe they dialed the wrong number? It
would be fairly safe that saying "This is Regina's message box"
would be rather unnecessary. It would also be unnecessary to
assure them that you will answer them as soon as you can. Of
COURSE you will. What ELSE would you do? Klingons don't need
these frivolous social reassurances.
My favorite human answering machine said:
"Hi. This is, well, you know. When you hear, well, you know,
then ... well, ... you know." BEEEEEEEEP.
It was perfect. I DID know, after all.
> reghIyna'
> ## CrossPoint v3.11 ##
charghwI'