tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed May 03 04:50:09 2000
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Klingon WOTD: gher (v)
This is the Klingon Word Of The Day for Wednesday, May 3, 2000.
Klingon word: gher
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: formulate, compile, pull together
Additional Notes:
MSN, Okrand Forum. (v.t.)
The idea seems to be that of bringing thoughts together into some kind of reasonably coherent form so that they can be conveyed to someone else.
Thus, one would usually say {naD tetlh gher} "she/she compiles the Commendation List" or "he/she writes the Commendation List."
(Maltz laughed at, but accepted, {Soj tetlh gher} for "he/she writes the grocery list.")
One would probably {gher}, rather than {qon}, a suggested list of readings, a gazetteer, a simple menu, or the instructions for assembling a toy (assuming the latter is not really an exercise in creative writing).
One might also say {QIn gher} "he/she formulates a message" or, more colloquially, "he/she writes a message." But now it' begins to get tricky. Using {gher} here implies that the writer of the message was passing along some information he or she got elsewhere, such as scribbling down a telephone message. Saying {QIn qon} "he/she composes a message" or "he/she writes a message" suggests that the writer is presenting some new information as opposed to merely passing something along. It may also imply that the written message has some sort of literary merit, and thus be a compliment.
But not always. {HIDjolev qon} "he/she composes the menu" suggests that the speaker thinks the list of available fare is written with a certain literary flair. This is not likely to be said of menus in Klingon restaurants (whose menus, if posted at all, tend to be rather pithy), and thus could easily be taken as an insult.
Similarly, something like {bom gher} "he/she formulates the song" would be taken as a disparaging comment about the song or its composer (and is, in fact, sometimes heard when the song in question is of non-Klingon origin).
The Klingon Word Of The Day is brought to you by Holtej ([email protected]). Please contact me with additions, corrections or comments.
--Holtej 'utlh
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