tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Mar 26 20:38:38 2001
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Re: KLBC: Patience makes perfect
ja' pagh-le':
>There are many things I do, such as drive my car and go to the store, that I
>find difficult to express in Klingon since there does not seem to be a word
>for "car" nor "store." I can't even figure out how to say "I go to the
>library."
Vehicle words regularly appear on the KLI's "wish list".
Lacking an official term for referring to automobiles, many people are
content to stretch {Duj} to apply. Some will refer to a car as a {yav
Duj}, or "ground ship". While we generally try not to abuse the
vocabulary, there are still unspoken conventions which have arisen among
longtime members of the mailing list. There is historical context for
specific usage of various terms; as with any language, newcomers will
simply have to deal with things like {Duj} for "car" as they are
encountered.
It's rare that one needs to talk about a "store" in such a way that
"merchant" can't express the relevant idea. Similarly, it isn't quite
necessary to explain "library" as a physical building when the concept of a
"book lender" is quite easy to get across. A library can be several other
things -- a personal collection of books, a set of related computer
programming routines, etc. -- and each has its own appropriately distinct
description in Klingon.
-- ghunchu'wI' 'utlh