tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri May 18 10:53:34 2001
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Re: When writing Klingon fiction...
DS9 "In Purgatory's Shadow":
GARAK: "It's the honorable thing to do."
WORF: "You use that word, but you have no idea what it means."
GARAK: "Perhaps not, but you do."
ro'Han wrote:
: I'm not sure whether everyone else may have heard the honour discussion
: before - I just thought it might be of interest because the concept is so
: fundamentally Klingon. However, if you *could* supply the canon sources of
: these words <<quv>> and <<batlh>>, I would greatly appreciate it.
As I said yesterday, I feel the basic difference is that {quv} refers to
personal honor or reputation, while {batlh} tends toward honor in general or
the abstract. I freely admit that there does appear to be some overlap: {batlh
is sometimes used where I might expect {quv}. Look at the canon (for all forms
of these two words) for yourself and decide...
{batlh} honored, with honor, honorably, in an honorable fashion [HolQeD 4.4]
(adv.)
batlh Daqawlu'taH
You will be remembered with honor. TKD
batlh bIHeghbe'
You will die without honor. TKD
batlh Daqawlu'taH.
You will be remembered with honor. ST3
batlh maHegh
[We die honorably. (untr.)] CK
batlh malja' DaHuq.
You transact business honorably. PK
Hoch DaSopbe'chugh batlh bIHeghbe'
Eat everything or you will die without honor. PK
pIj maSuvpu' batlh maSuvpu' 'ej maQapbejta'
In our many battles, we have fought with honor and achieved VICTORY! (Hallmark)
batlh bIHeghjaj
May you die well. TKW
batlh ghob yIpab
Adhere to virtue honorably. TKW
batlh Heghlu'chugh noDnISbe' vay'
An honorable death requires no vengeance. TKW
batlh maHeghbej 'ej yo' qIjDaq vavpu'ma' DImuv. pa' reH maSuvtaHqu'
Then we die with honor and join our fathers in the Black Fleet where we battle
forever. (Anthem)
batlh muQaHpu'
He/she has helped me in an honored way.
He/she has helped me with honor. KGT
batlh choQaHpu'
You have helped me in an honored way.
You have helped me with honor. KGT
tlhIngan Dujmey law'qu' SommeyDaq batlh cha'lu'
[It] has been emblazoned upon the hulls of countless Klingon starships. SP1
{batlh} honor (n.)
batlh tlhIngan Segh yIHub
Defend the Klingon race with honor. (MO ST5 notes)
batlh qaghojmoHpu'
It has been an honor to instruct you. CK
batlh qaghojmoH
It has been an honor to instruct you. PK
batlh potlh law' yIn potlh puS
Honor is more important than life. TKW
batlh qelDI' tlhIngan, lumbe'
A Klingon does not postpone a matter of honor. TKW
{batlh 'etlh} Sword of Honor (Kahless' famous blade) (n.)
"The word {betleH} is actually an archaic form. In contemporary Klingon, 'sword
of honor' would be {batlh 'etlh}, though this phrase is used almost exclusively
as a translation or explanation of the older word, {betleH}." (KGT 59)
yIntaHvIS qeylIS'e' lIjlaHbe'bogh vay' batlh 'etlhvam chenmoHlu'pu'
this sword of honor descends from the time of Kahless the Unforgettable. S8
{batlhHa'} dishonorably (adv.) KGT
"The word for dishonorably is {batlhHa'}. This is clearly the adverbial {batlh}
in an honored fashion plus a suffix {-Ha'}, which might be analyzed as the
negative suffix that follows verbs or else as a suffix identical in form (and
meaning?) to it, but which appears with adverbials. Whether this {-Ha'} can be
added to all adverbials is not clear." (HQ 4.4)
batlhHa' vanglu'taHvIS quv chavbe'lu'
One does not achieve honor while acting dishonorably. TKW
Qu' buSHa'chugh SuvwI', batlhHa' vangchugh, qoj matlhHa'chugh, pagh ghaH
SuvwI''e'
If a warrior ignores duty, acts dishonorably, or is disloyal, he is nothing.
TKW
{quv} be honored, be honorable TKW
"For a minority of Klingons who pronounce both b and m identically, as m, the
words {betleH} and {meqleH} sound almost the same, especially when shouted in
the heat of battle. Because of the importance of the bat'leth in Klingon
tradition, however, they have taken to calling the bat'leth {betleH quv}
(pronounced {metleH quv}), or 'honored bat'leth,' while the mek'leth is {meqleH
matlh}, or 'loyal mek'leth,' Although {betleH quv} might be considered a bit
redundant (honored sword of honor), it does the job of maintaining the
distinction." (KGT 60)
naDev juHlIjDaq cha'logh jISopneSchugh vaj jIquv.
It would be an honor to eat twice here at your house, your Honor. PK
bItuHlaHbe'chugh bIquvlaHbe'
If you cannot be shamed, you cannot be honored. TKW
noH ghoblu'DI' yay quv law' Hoch quv puS
In war there is nothing more honorable than victory. TKW
jIquv
I am honored. KLS
{quv} honor (n.)
"Dueling--that is, challenging someone to a fight, usually to the death, over a
matter of honor--is a longstanding Klingon practice. ... A duel is preceded by
one party issuing a challenge to the other. This is expressed by using the
phrase {qabDaj 'ang} (literally, "He/she shows his/her face," referring to the
Klingon tenet that a warrior always shows his or her face in battle). ... One
accepts a challenge ({qab 'ang} [literally, "shows face"]) in order to prove
one's honor ({quv tob} [literally, "test honor conclusively"]). Though any
perceived attack on one's honor may prompt one to issue a challenge, in one
traditional form of duel, the goal is specifically for a man to "win the favor
of a women" ({vuv be' 'e' baj} [literally, "earn that a woman respect him"]) by
competing with another man." (KGT 67ff)
quvwIj DatIchpu', tera'ngan.
[You have insulted my honor, Terran.] PK
batlhHa' vanglu'taHvIS quv chavbe'lu'
One does not achieve honor while acting dishonorably. TKW
tlhIngan quv DatIchDI' Seng yIghuH
When you insult a Klingon's honor, prepare for trouble. TKW
quv Hutlh HoHbogh tlhIngan 'ach qabDaj 'angbe'bogh
A Klingon who kills without showing his face has no honor. TKW
'ang'eghQo' quv Hutlhbogh jagh neH ghobtaHvIS ghaH
Only an enemy without honor refuses to show himself in battle. TKW
SuvwI' quvlIj yIqel!
Consider your warrior's honor! (Day of Honor postcard)
{quv bey'} honor display (n.) KCD
In the House of SepIch Rite of Ascension chamber, the {quv bey'} is like the
{nuH bey'}, except that it has two bat'leths and two d'k tags on it, as opposed
to the {nuH bey'}, which has one bat'leth, one {naQjej}, and a {ghob'eth}, "One
of three weapons traditionally displayed on the {nuH bey'}." (KCD)
quvHa' be dishonored (vi.) KGT
quvHa'; ghe'tor ngan rur
dishonored as an inhabitant of Gre'thor KGT
quvHa'ghach dishonor (n.) KGT
qaStaHvIS wej puq poHmey vav puqloDpu' puqloDpu'chaj je quvHa'moH vav
quvHa'ghach
The dishonor of the father dishonors his sons and their sons for three
generations. TKW
quvHa'moH dishonor (v.)
qaStaHvIS wej puq poHmey vav puqloDpu' puqloDpu'chaj je quvHa'moH vav
quvHa'ghach The dishonor of the father dishonors his sons and their sons for
three generations. TKW
quvmoH to honor (v.)
quv'eghmoH to honor oneself (v.)
"Maltz reports having heard both {quv'eghmoH} 'he/she honors him/herself',
which follows the expected order (verb-Type 1-Type 4: {quv} 'be honored',
{-'egh} 'oneself', {-moH} 'cause') as well as the weird {quvmoH'egh} 'he/she
honors him/herself', in which the Type 1 suffix -'egh oneself follows the Type
4 suffix -moH cause, an impossible formation unless the speaker is considering
the verb to be quvmoH honor and not quv be honored. Speakers who do this seem
to be aware that they are breaking the rules, so they are doing it for
rhetorical effect. (It has the same sort of feeling, perhaps, as if someone
were to say in English 'Don't cellular phone me this afternoon' or 'I've been
postnasal dripping all morning' or 'It's lightninging and thundering outside'
or, to follow the Klingon example, 'He/she self-honors'.) If this sort of thing
happens a lot, maybe, in time, the language will undergo some sort of
reformation; maybe -moH will become a Rover. Or {quvmoH} and similar forms will
become simple (though two-syllable) verbs." (st.klingon 11/97)
qep'a' wejDIchDaq jatlhtaH tlhIngan Hol HaDwI'pu'. ghoHtaH je. tIv'eghtaH je.
vaj SuquvmoH. (st.klingon 11/96)
SoSwI' vavwI' je quvmoHjaj paqvam [KGT dedication]
Hochlogh no' yIquvmoH
All times honor your ancestors (sic) KGT
reH no' yIquvmoH
Always honor your ancestors. KGT
tlhIngan Hol Danummo' pIquvmoH
Because you promote the Klingon language, we honor you. (KLI Friend of Maltz
certificate)
{quvmoHghach} "process of honoring" [IMO in HQ 3.3 on -ghach]
*{quvghach} "honoredness" (marked term!) [IMO in HQ 3.3 on -ghach]
{quvqa'meH vIttlhegh" replacement proverb
"This is the only way to say replacement proverb currently, but in the past,
the common term was the lenghthier {quvqa'meH vIttlhegh", literally, 'proverb
for (the purpose of) being honored again.' The word {qa'meH}, clearly a
shortened form of {quvqa'meH}, was originally used only in the construction of
{qa'meH vIttlhegh}, but, though historically two verb suffixes, it has become
accepted as a noun in its own right, meaning replacement in the sense of
something that takes over for or is used instead of something that is gone or
that has been lost. It is not used for a temporary substitute or a stand-in;
the word for that is {lIw}." (HolQeD 5.1)
{la'quv} Supreme Commander
{ra'ghomquv} High Command
{yejquv} High Council
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons