tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue May 14 12:25:03 2002

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Re: question about Quj



Dum'er:
> > Just a small thing I wonder about: what's the difference between Quj vIreH
> > and jIQuj? And how to say "I play games", that is, plural? Only Qujmey
> > vIreH can be used?

Krankor:
>Quj vIreH is just wrong.  You would say Quj vIQuj.  Or, of course, you
>could just say jIQuj, since Quj vIQuj is, I suppose, a little redundant.
>"I play games" would be Qujmey vIQuj.

We have only one somewhat facetious example of the verb {Quj} in play (!), 
from the "British" expressions Okrand translated especially for the "Radio 
Times" Star Trek 30th Anniversary book:

   DaH ghew yIQuj
   Cricket, please.
   [literally "Play bug now!"]

But this is enough to show that the object of {Quj} is the name of the 
game.  E.g.:

   qa'vaQ wIQuj DaneH'a'?
   Do you want to play *qa'vak* with me?

[{qa'vaQ} is a traditional Klingon game consisting of trying to throw a 
spear through a rolling half-meter hoop which is said to hone the skills of 
the hunt.  It was seen in TNG "Birthright, Part II".  The only other 
Klingon game we know of - except for *klin zha* of course! - is called 
{qeylIS mInDu'}, a guessing game with dice seen in KCD.]

>                                       reH is "play" in the sense of "play"
>as opposed to "work".  For instance, I was once describing my family's new
>dog, and said that her attitude always said:  Ha', yIreH!  jIreH vIneH!

This verb was translated for use in the scene in ST3 where Kruge comments 
how "charming" it would be to have your children playing at your feet with 
the detested flag of the Federation fluttering overhead.  (Unfortunately, 
we never heard that line in Klingon as they eventually decided to film that 
particular scene in English.)  A confirming example comes from KGT:

   reH puqpu'
   The children play.



-- 
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons



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