tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Oct 23 09:40:00 2003

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Re: "Star Mitzvah" sound file?

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


>[Voragh] wrote:
> > N.B. There are four missing Klingon words from both Frasier's speech and
> > the captions, which makes sense if the captions came from the script. As
> > an exercise, see if you can reconstruct them.

ngabwI' wrote:
>A challenge... alright, let's see... }}: )
>
> > And here are the closed captions:
> >
> >     Hach jahj cho-koov-moakh
>
>{Hoch jaj(?)  choquvmoH} "Every day(?)  you honor me"
>({Hach} doesn't make sense here: "The day is developed. You honor me"
>Neither do {HIch} "pistol" {Hech} "to intend, mean" {Huch} "money")

Of course it's {Hoch jaj} "each day, every day".

I'm assuming that Okrand also provided the "phonetic" transcription for the 
script (and the captions).  Remember that he's trying to write something 
that an American actor could read which would sound more or less correct 
*without any coaching from him*.  (He offered to work with Kelsey Grammer, 
but the producers declined.)  If the transcription looks strange to us, 
bear in mind that Okrand has been tweaking this method based on years of 
working with actors who know nothing about tlhIngan Hol and its official 
spelling.  And since the production staff also knows nothing about Klingon, 
they often divide words strangely, even inserting line breaks 
mid-word.  (And let's not even mention typos that creep in when someone is 
keyboarding them into the shooting script and then the captions!)

> >     Leng-lidge lou-teb
> >     Jahj leng widge-vahd bel rahp
> >     Shoave dah-nobe-poo-boagh
>
>{lenglIj lutebjaj lengwIjvaD bel rap Sov Danobpu'bogh}
>"May the knowledges(?) of the same pleasure that you have given to my
>journey fill your journey"?!??
>
>Looking at the translation:
> >    "My dearest son, each day you redeem me. May your journey be filled
> >     with the same joy, wisdom, and purpose you have given mine."
>
>it's missing "purpose" and "wisdom", and a {je}. (I'm assuming {bel} is
>translated as "joy").

Correct.  {bel} "pleasure".

>I remember {ngoQ} being used for "purpose" somewhere, but I can't find it,

{ngoQ} "goal, purpose" is listed in the  KGT glossary, after being used in

   tlhIngan ngoQmey chavmeH HoH tlhInganpu'
   Klingons kill for their own purposes. TKW

   ngoQvam luchavmeH ghawran maghpu' be'nI'pu'. woQ luSuqmeH jIjpu'
    chaH romuluSngan'e' je.
   To this end, the sisters have acted against Gowron, going as far
    as to work with Romulan factions in order to gain power. S26

>and {Sov} only makes sense as a noun (I don't know if it can be used as a 
>noun, though, outside of {leSSov})

{Sov} is also listed as a noun meaning "knowledge", which Okrand is using 
here for "wisdom".  (It may be in the TKD Appendix, I don't remember.)

>So at the risk of seeming like an idiot:
>
>   {puqloDwI' le'qu':
>   Hoch jaj choquvmoH.
>   lenglIj lutebjaj lengwIjvaD bel rap, Sov *rap, ngoQ rap je* Danobpu'bogh.}
>
>   "My very special son:
>   Every day you honor me.
>   May the same pleasure, the same knowledge, and the same goal that you have
>   given to my journey fill your journey"
>
>Which makes alot more sense than it did before.

Indeed it does.  Full marks.  You got the four missing words right.

>Corrections are welcome, because this is driving me up the wall...

Join the club.  There was quite a flurry of discussion on the LIst when the 
episode first aired, and then again when Okrand told us in HolQeD about 
those four missing words... which made all the difference.



-- 
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons

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