tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Nov 19 14:16:50 2002
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Re: Klingon WOTD: wagh (v)
Voragh wrote:
> > Cf. also {lo'laH} "be valuable". For {qutlh} "be cheap", cf. also
> > {lo'laHbe'} "be worthless".
...Paul:
>Am I correct in thinking there are distinct connotational difference
>between { lo'laH } and { wagh } (and similarly for { lo'laHbe' } and {
>qutlh }? ie. something could be both valuable and cheap, while something
>could also be expensive and worthless...
I quite agree. I just put out some related vocabulary to be mindful
of. There are many concepts we lack words for, but I'm always surprised
that, in some areas, we have quite a range of partial synonyms - which may
not fully overlap with how their English glosses are used (which is why I
always like to see how Okrand uses them in a sentence).
>Keep in mind, the root { lo' } means "use". { lo'laH } means valuable in
>terms of "useful", { lo'laHbe' } means worthless in terms of "unusable", no?
We also have {lI'} "be useful" and {lI'be'} "be useless", so {lo'laH} may
mean more like "useable (can use)" and {lo'laHbe'} "unuseable".
Some more vocabulary and examples:
lo' use, make use of (v.)
lo' use, worth (n.)
lo'Ha' waste (v.)
- HoS lI' Dalo'Ha'chu'
You are a total waste of good energy! PK
[Note: For {lo'Ha'} in the sense of "mis-use", we have the verb {ghong}
"abuse" and the homophonous noun {ghong} "abuse".]
lo'laH be valuable (v.)
lo'laHghach value (n.) [TKD 4.2.9]
lo'laHbe' be worthless (v.)
- vIlo'laHbe'
They are useless to me. I cannot use them. TKD
- leghlaHchu'be'chugh mIn lo'laHbe' taj jej
A sharp knife is nothing without a sharp eye. TKW
- lo'laHbe'; chetvI' chIm rur
worthless as an empty torpedo tube KGT
lo'laHbe'ghach worthlessness (n.) [TKD 4.2.9]
lI' be useful (v.)
- Qu'vaD lI' De'vam
This information is useful for the mission. TKD
- Qu'vaD lI' net tu'bej
One certainly finds it useful for the mission.
One will certainly observe that it is useful to the mission. ST3/TKD
- HoS lI' Dalo'Ha'chu'
You are a total waste of good energy! PK
- lI' 'e' Datu'
You will find it useful. PK
- lI'qu' tlhIngan may' taj
The Klingon battle knife is designed primarily for versatility of use. SP2
lI'be' be useless (v.)
- wa'maH yIHmey lI'be'
ten useless tribbles CK
--
Voragh "All the meaning is in the context."
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons (Ilya Kabakov, Russian artist)