tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Nov 05 16:19:45 2003

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Re: toH!

Steven Boozer ([email protected]) [KLI Member] 

SuStel wrote:

>I often see /toH/ used for every "well," "boy," "man," and "hey" found in an
>English sentence.  Captain Krankor, in a recording of /'Iv ghaH baHwI''e'/,
>goes so far as to use it in places he really should be using /vaj/ (e.g.,
>/baH vIra'chugh (sic) vaj baHnIS vay'.  toH, baH 'Iv?/).

At least when speaking, tone of voice helps.  We definitely need a few more 
exclamations.

>THE KLINGON DICTIONARY describes /toH/ as meaning "Well! So! (excl)," and
>says it is roughly equivalent to English "aha!"

Nu?  Nu!

>We hear Commander Kruge use the word in Star Trek III (though it sounds more
>like /DaH/ to me),

Curious you should say that:

   This expression [{may' bom pIm bom}] means "speak of another
   matter entirely". It is used when someone changes the topic or
   offers clarification on an existing one or when some new
   information comes to light. When uttered, it is frequently
   preceded by {DaH} ("now") or {toH} ("Aha!").  [KGT 118f.]

>                   and then slip into English: "toH!  I've come a long way
>for the power of Genesis, and what do I find?  A weakling Human, a Vulcan
>boy, and a woman."
>
>It seems to me that /toH/ should be used in cases of discovery, or possibly
>a sort of verbal regrouping before one summarizes the facts after a new fact
>has become known.  "So!  Here's the situation now . . . ."

{toH} is heard up during the dinner scene in PK:

   <animal growling>

   Terran:  qu'bej QoghlIj.  SSS... mev!  ba'!
            "Your krog is definitely fierce. Do not do that! Sit!"

   Klingon: toH, tera'ngan.  majQa'!
            "So, Terran. Well done!"

Here it seems to be more like an introductory comment, sort of like "Well, 
imagine that! (The krog actually listened to him.)"

> >   tlhInganna' Daqu' ghetwI'vam jay'!  toH ghetchu'.
> >   This actor really makes a damn fine Klingon! Boy, can he act.
>
>While I found Voragh's translations of these sentences nicely colloquial, I
>don't think /toH/ is quite appropriate here.  There's no "aha!" in the
>sentiment.

Other than a "aha!" of surprise at discovering something new and 
unexpected.  <g>

You're right, though.  I thought that just {ghetchu'} wasn't enough, and I 
don't like it when people use {ghaH} as a redundant subject.  I hesitated 
on using {toH}, though I couldn't think of another exclamation used for 
admiration.  (Can you?)  Thinking about it now, I suppose I should have 
used {-bej}:

   tlhInganna' Dachu' ghetwI'vam jay'!  ghetbejqu'!
   This actor really makes a damn fine Klingon!  Boy, can he act!

As you said, my translations were intended to be "nicely colloquial".



-- 
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons

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