tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Jan 17 09:24:39 2000
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Re: Expressions of emotion of power and exctasy in tlhIngan Hol
On Thu, 13 Jan 2000 22:42:53 -0500 Kevin McCormick
<[email protected]> wrote:
> Is there any expression of feeling of raw power in tlhIngan Hol or current
> any Klingon based works? I was just racalling to my wife the feeling of raw
> power of 4 Pratt & Whitney twin row radial engines on a vintage DC-6 during
> takeoff at midnight. How would such emotion, exhileration, power, and joy
> be expressed? God made airplanes so men could be little boys again and
> experience the pure joy of being.
For me, it was pulling out of the median on my motorcycle just
as a car passed by at 55mph and passing him before four lanes
became two. That gave me somewhere between 200 and 300 yards. It
was only a 500cc motorcycle, but the power to weight ratio was
enough to build up my upper body strength just holding on to the
handlebars. There wasn't much weight on the front wheel except
briefly during gear changes.
> To me a {tlhIngan suvwI'} would find such
> expression of exctasy and raw power in the flight of a {B'rel class toQDuj}
> during combat as it overtakes a powerful foe, defeating it as the wolf
> would defeat a bear in the hunt. Worf glowed when he began singing the
> opening bars of a Klingon opera. Who can deny the emotion upon hearing
> Amazing Grace when heard on the bagpipes? From what little I have seen so
> far on the language on this list and in the TKD, tlhIngan Hol is abrupt and
> to the point, yet there is intense emotion burried just below the surface.
> Look at Gen. Chang as he quotes Shakspeare such raw and powerful emotion in
> ST: The Undiscovered Country. Has any of this facet of the language and
> culture been exposed yet? If so are there any direct references to it? I am
> looking forward to buying the other Klingon books after the TKD as it will
> provide interesting insight into this unique artificial culture and
> language. It seems to be shedding some interesting light on real life
> cultures here on good old {tera'}. The language is the vehicle, the
> emotions are the messages.
Well, I have two comments:
1. To a certain extent, this echoes a Harley Davidson bumper
sticker: "If I have to explain it, you wouldn't understand."
People who have had these experiences will understand you and
people who haven't can't understand you. This will be true in
any language. At best, language can bring you to agree on
symbols for shared experiences. It cannot give you experiences
you have not had. On this point, the particular language you are
using is not important. This is true for all languages.
2. Assuming that others HAVE had this experience, then
describing the event itself will convey this emotional rush.
Like when a Harley owner waves a hand toward a motorcycle, says,
"That thar's m'BIKE," then rocks back on his heels, grins and
loops both thumbs behind his Harley belt buckle.
My bike wasn't a Harley, by the way. It was a Yamaha Virage,
which is basically a rice-grinder cartoon of a Harley, slung
lower to the ground with even more of a sway-back spine, a drive
shaft instead of a chain and the V-twin spread to 70 degrees
instead of 45. That and using the engine as an integral part of
the frame, making down-tubes unnecessary is how they got the
bike so low to the ground. That and the copious 2 gallon gas
tank...
Vocal inflection, body language, reputation and many other
culturally taught non-verbal means of communication can convey
what you want. "Great songs will be sung of this."
Don't expect a mere subset of vocabulary to stand in for this
shared expression of exhilleration for experiences that must be
shared before the feeling could be understood.
> Qor (Who has a lot to learn...)
>
> Best regards,
>
> Kevin McCormick
> ________________________________________________________________
> W. Kevin McCormick White Pine Software
> Product Manager 542 Amherst St.
> Phone: 603 886 9050 Nashua, NH
> Fax: 603 886-9051 03063
> Email: [email protected]
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charghwI'