tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Dec 22 11:24:57 2004
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Re: [klbc] nature's call
SoplaHtaHwI' asks:
> >We know what a toilet is in tlhIngan Hol (puchpa')
> >But what is (excuse my language) shitting or "to defecate"?
QeS lagh:
>I'm fairly sure there's no canon term for it. [....] I'd
>probably periphrase: say {puch lo'} "use the toilet" or {puchpa' lo'}
>"use the toilet-room". (Remember that {puchpa'} means the room where
>the toilet is, not the toilet itself. That's {puch}.)
Another way is to use a euphemism or joke that will be understandable in
context. One that I've seen suggested more than once is "exhaust" - for
which we have two nouns {taQbang} (the exhaust or waste product itself?)
and {ghImwI'} (a device? i.e. exhaust pipe, which suggests yet another body
part <g>) as well as the verb {tlhuch}. Coincidentally, this morning I
read an article in The Chicago Tribune about the Amish moving into
southwest Wisconsin:
Other complaints target the buggies, which even some
who otherwise have no problem with the Amish say are
accidents waiting to happen when they use federal
highways. "Exhaust" from the horses is a dirty nuisance
to many.
If you like, consider this wordplay either a form of slang {mu'mey ghoQ} or
an ad hoc expression. Klingons do this themselves:
Sometimes words or phrases are coined for a specific
occasion, intentionally violating grammatical rules in
order to have an impact. Usually these are never heard
again, though some gain currency and might as well be
classified as slang. Klingon grammarians call such forms
{mu'mey ru'} ("temporary words"). Sometimes, {mu'mey ru'}
fill a void--that is, give voice to an idea for which
there is no standard (or even slang) expression; some-
times, like slang, they are just more emphatic ways of
expressing an idea. (KGT 176)
Other verbs you can play with include {tlhuD} "emit" and {nIj} "leak", and
we also have the nouns {yIb} "vent" and {pugh} "dregs}.
> >How does one talk about bumcheeks?
>
>We do have a word for "bottom, backside, arse/ass": {Sa'Hut}. MO alerted us
>to its existence at a recent qep'a'. For "buttocks", perhaps {Sa'Hut bIDmey}
>"bottom's halves" could work. I can't find a usage like this in canon, but
>there's no reason why it should be ungrammatical, since {bID} is a noun.
If you're using {bID} for a body part, then use the plural suffix for body
parts: {bIDDu'}. Using the right suffix alerts the listener how the word
is being used; this is particularly useful if it's being used someplace you
wouldn't expect it. Cf. the unofficial slang term some Klingonists use for
breasts *{chabDu'}.
If you don't like {bID}, you can always use the all-purpose and somewhat
over-used noun {'ay'} "section, part, component, piece" - again with the
proper suffix: {Sa'Hut 'ay'Du'}.
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons