tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu May 02 14:25:20 2002

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Re: Klingon WOTD: tlhong (v)



Voragh wrote:
>>See also {je'} "buy, purchase"; {ngev} "sell"; {DIl} "pay for"; {mech} 
>>"trade", the idiom {malja' Huq} "transact business" as well as {Sutlh} 
>>"negotiate" and {ghar} "conduct diplomacy".

taD wrote:
>Is {malja' Huq} actually an idiom? I know it was used in one of the audio 
>tapes ({batlh malja' DaHuq} "You transact business honorably"), but isn't 
>an idiom something that isn't obvious from the literal translation? (e.g., 
>the idiom {buy' ngop} literally is "the plates are full", but means "good 
>news")

You're right.  I guess I was thinking of the Russian word 
*slovosochetanie*, two or more words which are routinely used 
together.  Perhaps "standard phrase" is better.  Note that {batlh malja' 
DaHuq} "You transact business honorably" could also be translated slightly 
more idiomatically as "You conduct business honorably" in which case 
"conduct business" is an idiom, considering the multiple meanings of 
"conduct" in English:  conduct electricity, conduct an orchestra, conduct 
diplomacy, a conductor on a train, etc.



-- 
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons



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