tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Jun 21 11:24:42 2002
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Re: the banned book / BG
pIl'o' writes:
> >> nuHmey vIchenmoHta'.
> >> QaQ Hotbogh nuH'e' vIyaj.
>
>I have (accomplished) made weapons. I understand (appreciate) a weapon which
>(that?) feels good.
>
>What I was *trying* to say: (thinking in English) I've made weapons (emphasis
>on mega hours of hand labor) so I really know when a weapon has a good
>feel (as
>in balance, the intimacy when a good fit melds with your hand/arm)
>trying to think in tlhIngan Hol I came up with a very dissappointing:
WRT weapons, Klingons call this intangible quality {vaQ}. FYI:
"A weapon that is particularly good, that is well designed and well
constructed, is normally described as {vaQ}. Thus, a {taj vaQ} is a
meticulously made knife and a {ghanjaq vaQ} is an especially nice mace. In
speaking about a fine weapon, one could compliment it even further by
adding the emphatic {-qu'} to {vaQ}. A really spectacular bat'leth would be
a {betleH vaQqu'}. The word {vaQ} is not often used in describing the newer
weapons (disruptors and the like), though such locutions are heard from
time to time. The original meaning of {vaQ} has been extended to mean
'effective, vigorous, aggressive' and is now heard applied not only to
weapons but also to people: {SuvwI' vaQ} (aggressive warrior)." (KGT p.67)
Presumably, this includes things like balance and heft, as well as
appearance and workmanship.
FYI, some vocabulary:
ngaD "be stable, be balanced"
ngaDHa' "be unstable, be unbalanced"
Cf. also, SkyBox S8:
yIntaHvIS qeylIS'e' lIjlaHbe'bogh vay' batlh 'etlhvam chenmoHlu'pu'
this sword of honor descends from the time of Kahless the Unforgettable. S8
Putting this all together, you can say (if you dare use the controversial QAO):
nuHmey vIchenmoHta'mo' jIH, chenmoHlu'chu''a' 'etlh 'e' vIyaj.
Since I've made weapons myself, I understand if a sword is well made (or
not).
or, less controversially:
... nuH vaQ vIghovlaH.
... I can recognize an exceptional weapon.
... ngaDchu' betleHvam 'e' vISov.
... I know that this bat'leth is well-balanced.
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons