tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Apr 09 12:59:20 2003
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Re: pale
naHQun:
> 'IH DIr *Hawai'i*ngan Doq 'ej wovbe'.
> Brown Hawaiian skin is beautiful.
Okrand discussed how to translate "brown" on startrek.klingon (2/98) which,
judging from your post, you've read. But for everyone else, here is is:
What we call "brown" would be described in Klingon by using the verb {Doq}
"be red, orange". If the context is clear (such as contrasting a brown thing
with a thing that cannot be described as {Doq}, such as something that's
{SuD}
"blue, green, yellow"), {Doq} alone is good enough. Thus, if there are two
drinking cups, one brown and one blue, one might say: {HIvje' Doq vIneH} "I
want the {Doq} cup". Only the brown cup could be described as {Doq}; the
blue
cup is definitely not {Doq} since it is {SuD}. On the other hand, to be more
precise when talking about the color (when, for example, there's a brown cup
and a red cup), Klingons would typically use the phrase: {Doq 'ej wovbe'}
"be orange/red and not be bright". To get even more specific (to be able to
refer to different kinds of browns) would involve comparisons. For example:
{Doq 'ej Qaj wuS rur} "be orange/red and resemble kradge lips". The lips of
the kradge are presumably a particular shade of brown.
DloraH:
> >Watch your noun-noun word order. You can't stack adjectives like that.
> >You will need to use -bogh or two sentences.
naHQun:
>How about:
>
> 'IH *Hawai'i*ngan DIr 'ej
> 'IH Doq 'ej wovbe' DIr
>
>I can't figure out where I would put <-bogh> to make a sentance like that.
When you're stuck like this, a good trick is to reduce the sentence to its
minimum parts - I call it the "skeleton" - then build it back up one piece
at a time. E.g.:
Skin is-beautiful.
'IH DIr.
Hawaiian skin is-beautiful.
'IH *Hawai'i*ngan DIr.
Red/orange Hawaiian skin is-beautiful.
'IH *Hawai'i*ngan DIr Doq.
Now to add {wovbe'} using another sentence:
Red/orange Hawaiian skin is-beautiful and it-is-not-light/bright.
'IH *Hawai'i*ngan DIr Doq 'ej wovbe'.
or
Not-light/bright Hawaiian skin is-beautiful and it-is-red/orange.
'IH *Hawai'i*ngan DIr wovbe' 'ej Doq.
And here's how to add {wovbe'} using a relative {-bogh} clause:
Red/orange Hawaiian skin which-is-not-light/bright is-beautiful.
'IH wovbe'bogh *Hawai'i*ngan DIr Doq.
or
Not-light/bright Hawaiian skin which-is-red/orange is-beautiful.
'IH Doqbogh *Hawai'i*ngan DIr wovbe'.
All of which are a bit of a mouthful. Why not simplify and call it just
{Doq} "red/orange" or {Hurgh} "dark" plus the simile from your previous
post? E.g.:
Red/orange Hawaiian skin is-beautiful; it-resembles chocolate.
'IH *Hawai'i*ngan DIr Doq; yuch rur.
Dark Hawaiian skin is-beautiful; it-resembles chocolate.
'IH *Hawai'i*ngan DIr Hurgh; yuch rur.
or, even simpler, drop the color reference altogether:
Hawaiian skin is-beautiful; it-resembles chocolate.
'IH *Hawai'i*ngan DIr; yuch rur.
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons