tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Jun 02 14:24:23 2003
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Re: Qapla': Noun or Exclamation?
From: "Tyler Fisher" <[email protected]>
> Qapla', the Klingon word for "success", is a word most
> Star Trek fans are familiar with, even if they don't
> speak tlhIngan Hol. For me, this word has posed an
> interesting question.
>
> In the dictionary, Qapla' is listed as a noun. Yet in
> every instance I've seen the word used (canon or
> otherwise), it's always been treated more like an
> exclamation. Don't you think that maybe Mark Okrand
> should make some comment on this?
Perhaps he should, but it doesn't seem that odd to me. The classification
of exclamation in Klingon is actually one devised by the Terran linguists
who compiled the dictionary, and not one used by Klingons themselves.
I think all kinds of words can be used as exclamations, in the right
context. Adjectives are particularly good. Suppose you're shopping for a
weapon. You come across a fancy betleH for 3,000 DeQ. That's more than you
can afford. You exclaim, "wagh!" Yes, it's a sentence, but it's also an
exclamation.
Or: you're Captain Klaa. You've just tried to kill Captain Kirk while he
was in a vulnerable position, but despite your best effort, the slippery
Terran has just gotten away. You mutter under your breath, "po'qu'!"
I thought there was some discussion somewhere by Okrand (KGT?) about the use
of Qapla' as a sendoff, when warriors are going off to battle (literally or
figuratively).
Of course, there's no reason why you can't use it as an ordinary noun in a
sentence, too.
Qapla' Dachavchugh tev DaHev.
SuStel
Stardate 3419.0