tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Jun 27 16:18:32 2003

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Re: New Klingon Words

QaroH wrote:

>Hallo, now I go through the list of New Klingon Words at KLI.
>I am a bit confused with certain English meanings:
>Actually, I do not understand the English translations.

These were all introduced in the "Power Klingon" tape or CD.

>mu' qaD veS - curse warfare (n)

Curse warfare is a Klingon pastime where each person will insult each other 
until his opponent can no longer come up with an insult worse than the one 
before.  It is associated with drinking and bars.

   taghbej mu'qaD veS.
   Curse-warfare has definitely begun. PK

These example curses were heard during a bout of {mu'qaD veS} in PK:

   Your targ has a bigger brain than all your ancestors put together!
   targhlIj yab tIn law' no'lI' Hoch yabDu' tIn puS

   You belong in a black hole in the Netherworld!
   ghe''orDaq luSpet 'oH DaqlIj'e'

   Your mother has a smooth forehead!!
   Hab SoSlI' Quch

[N.B. This last curse is the worst one of all!]

>peghmey vIttlhegh - secrecy proverb (n)

Here is Okrand from his article "A Note on Proverbs" in HolQeD 5.1:10:

   Two types of proverbs have special names. A "secrecy proverb" - that is,
   a proverb about secrecy - is generally called {peghmey vIttlhegh} "secret's
   proverb" or "proverb of secrets." Infrequently the singular {pegh} "secret"
   (rather than the plural {peghmey}) is heard, shortening the construction to
   {pegh vIttlhegh}. Since {pegh} is also a verb (meaning "keep something
   secret"), {pegh vIttlhegh} can also be interpreted as a sentence meaning
   something like "a proverb keeps things secret," that is, it withholds
   information rather than being a ready source of answers. To some Klingons,
   this is a most insightful coincidence.

The following secrecy proverbs were given in PK:

   A day without secrets is like a night without stars.
   Hov ghajbe'bogh ram rur pegh ghajbe'bogh jaj.

   No one eavesdrops at an open door.
   lojmIt poSDaq Daq pagh.

   Knowledge of useful information may be unfortunate.
   De' lI' Sovlu'DI' chaq Do'Ha'.

   Secrets never cease.
   not mev peghmey.

   The stars will talk before I will.
   jIjatlhpa' jatlh Hovmey.

[N.B. This is one of the oldest proverbs (from the Kahless cycle?).]

>qa'meH vIttlhegh - replacement proverb (n)

See the entry on the KLI Wiki encyclopedia for a convenient explanation of 
what a replacement proverb is:

   /wiki/index.php?replacement%20proverb

And here is Okrand again, from the same article:

   The Klingon term for a "replacement proverb" is {qa'meH vIttlhegh}.
   This is the only way to say "replacement proverb" currently, but in the 
past,
   the common term was the lengthier {quvqa'meH vIttlhegh}, literally,
   "proverb for (the purpose of) being honored again." The word {qa'meH},
   clearly a shortened form of {quvqa'meH}, was originally used only in the
   construction of {qa'meH vIttlhegh}, but, though historically two verb
   suffixes, it has become accepted as a noun in its own right, meaning
   "replacement" in the sense of something that takes over for or is used
   instead of something that is gone or that has been lost. It is not used 
for a
   temporary substitute or a stand­in; the word for that is {lIw}.



-- 
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons

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