tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Jun 28 13:52:48 2000

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Re: thunder and lightning



Thorwald "qa'pIn" Peeters wrote:

: I've just helped a guy find a word for thunder (and lightning in the
: process). I have stumbled on a question of my own doing that.
: I've deduced <muDul'> for lightning and <muDmay' bom> for thunder.

Not bad; but that should be *<muD'ul>, from <'ul> "electricity".  
 
: TKD doesn't put the different nouns of a noun-noun construction
: together. Have I erred in doing so? Should it be <muD ul'> and 
: <muD may' bom>?

Either way seems fine to me.  If there's any difference in meaning a Klingon
would feel I suspect its something like *<muD'ul>
"atmosphere/weather-electricity" vs. <muD 'ul> "the atmosphere's (weather's)
electricity".  I would use <chal> "sky" instead of <muD> however.  YMMV.

: And because I'm not very sure of myself at times: is muD may' bom 
: a good way to translate thunder?

"The atmosphere's battle song."  Hmmm... well, I wouldn't automatically think
of thunder myself, except perhaps in a poem.  Another option: <chal ghogh> "the
sky's voice".  

We also have the more prosaic noun <wab> "sound, noise" which Okrand revealed
on startrek.klingon (2/99): <muD wab> & *<muDwab> or <chal wab> & *<chalwab>.  

If you want to avoid coining a non-canon noun altogether, rephrase it as <chuS
muD (chal)> "the atmosphere (sky) is noisy", etc.



-- 
Voragh                       
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons


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