tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Dec 31 09:45:36 2002
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Frasier's Klingon: The four missing words?
- From: Steven Boozer <[email protected]>
- Subject: Frasier's Klingon: The four missing words?
- Date: Tue, 31 Dec 2002 09:50:17 -0600
Marc Okrand writes about the much-discussed scene in FRASIER "Star Mitzvah"
in the most recent HolQeD 11.4 (Dec. 2002) p. 11:
The main difference between what aired and what I submitted, however,
has nothing to do with transcription, but rather the absence of "purpose."
Somehow, somewhere in the process, four words got dropped. Had the four
words remained, Berman's translation would have matched what Frasier said,
and Maltz would not have been so awed by Berman's skill.
So not back to Maltz's challenge: He wants someone to give the speech
"purpose," that is, to come up with four words, even if they're not the
same ones originally submitted, so that Berman's translation actually
works. The words should come after {Sov} and before {Danobpu'bogh}.
No wonder we were all a little confused as to what Frasier Crane was trying
to say. Four of the words were missing!
"Berman's" translation was:
"My dearest son, each day you redeem me. May your journey be filled with
the same joy, wisdom, and purpose you have given mine."
I submit that the four missing words are: {rap, ngoQ rap je}. Frasier's
speech would have been in full:
puqloDwI' le'qu' - Hoch jaj choquvmoH. lenglIj lutebjaj lengwIjvaD bel
rap,
Sov [rap, ngoQ rap je] Danobpu'bogh.
The last sentence would be translated literally as:
"May the same pleasure, the [same] knowledge [and the same purpose] that
you have given to my journey fill your journey."
BTW, the young Klingonist "Berman" no doubt remembered that {ngoQ} "goal"
was given the additional gloss "purpose" in KGT after it was so used in a
proverb in TKW:
tlhIngan ngoQmey chavmeH HoH tlhInganpu'
Klingons kill for their own purposes.
--
Voragh "Damage control is easy. Reading
Klingon--that's
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons hard!" (Montgomery Scott to
Kirk, STIV)