tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Jun 09 08:02:48 2004

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RE: taH (was Re: mu' lo' QaQ 'oSbogh mu'tlheghmey)

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

QeS lagh:
> >>> Duj taHDaq yIbach
> >>> Shoot at the at-a-negative-angle ship!

jIqel:
> >> I think <Duj taH yIbach> is sufficient.  The locative suffix -Daq
> >> is not necessary in this sentence.

Yes, it is... unless you're using a gigantic super-cannon to shoot ships 
(like bullets) at some target!

pagh:
> > ghaytan mojaq <-Daq> chelnISlu'. mu'tlhegh <pe'vIl mu'qaDmey tIbach>
> > yIqel: peng bachlaHbej vay'. 'ach DoS bachlaH'a' vay'?

   pe'vIl mu'qaDmey tIbach
   Curse well! TKW

"The commonly heard sendoff 'Curse well!' ... literally means, 'Shoot 
curses forcefully!' Curses are considered a weapon of a sort which must be 
propelled to their targets." (TKW 148)

> > mu'tlhegh <vaj toDuj ngeHbej DI vI'> yIqaw je. bachHa'mo' Hov leng
> > lIngwI'pu', mu'tlheghvam lo'lu', 'ach mu'tlhegh wa'DIch qonDI' Marc
> > Okrand, pImqu'. vIqawchu'be', 'ach mu'tlheghvam - <logh veQDaq
> > bachlu'DI', {yoH?} 'e' toblaHbe' SuvwI'> - rur. vaj DoS bachlaHbe'law'
> > vay'. DoSDaq bachlu'.

   logh veQDaq bachchugh, yoH 'e' toblaHbe' SuvwI'.
   Shooting space garbage is no test of a warrior's mettle. (ST5 notes)

N.B. {logh veQDaq bachchugh ... SuvwI'} "if a warrior shoots at space garbage"

We have another example of {bach}:

   SuvwI' vI' Dub naQvam 'ej ray' HopDaq bachlu'meH chuqna' ghurmoH naQvam
   This serves to steady the aim of a warrior and increase the effective
   range for distance targeting. S14

{ray' HopDaq bachlu'meH} "(in order) for one to shoot at a distant target"

DloraH:
>KGT p56:
>The verb used for "shoot" when referring to disrupters is bach.  Technically
>speaking, one shoots the energy beam from the disrupter. (...) Thus, the
>correct formation is nISwI' tIH bach ("shoot the disrupter beam").  As a
>practical matter, however, the tIH is often left out, and nISwI' bach is the
>common way to say "shoot a disrupter."

To summarize:  The object of the verb {bach} "shoot" is either the weapon 
or what is propelled from the weapon (e.g. projectile, energy ray, 
etc.).  The target is marked with {-Daq}.

Thus, QeS lagh's sentence was correct - at least WRT {-Daq}.  Whether you 
can use {taH} statively is another matter.  Personally, I think this should be:

   ?taHbogh DujDaq yIbach!
    Shoot at the ship which is at-a-negative-angle!

{taH} "be at a negative angle" *may* work like the other orientation verbs 
{nech} "be lateral, move laterally" and {Don} "be parallel, go parallel 
to".  Although we have no examples of these, notice the second gloss which 
is phrased as if it were a verb of motion.  This reinforces something from 
qurgh's


   [Okrand] replied ... that it was referring to a ship, in space, that
   has rotated its nose downwards. It was moving in a negative angle.
   He went on to say that if it moved -90 degrees it would be pointing
   straight down.  (qurgh, 6/08/2004)

N.B. "moving in a negative angle"

We also have {lol} "be in an attitude" (i.e. aircraft).  It also means "be 
in a stance, be in a pose" (i.e. people or animals) and Okrand told us that 
"The verb lol is also used frequently when talking about martial arts." (HQ 
11.2):

   DuHIvmeH SuvwI' lol ghaH
   the warrior is in a stance to attack you [HQ 11.2]

N.B. {lol} is being used as an active, not a stative, verb.  He did not write:

   *DuHIv SuvwI' lol
    The warrior in-a-stance attacks you.

QeS lagh:
> >>> What do you think? As well, it leads one to wonder whether
> >>> there's a corresponding verb for "be at a positive angle".

Quvar:
>That's easy: taHHa'   }};-)

A ship at the maximum positive angle *might* be said to {chong} "be 
vertical", at the maximum negative angle - {taHchu'}? - {yoy} "be upside 
down" and flying level (in the same horizontal plane as another ship) {SaS} 
"be horizontal".

As always, more questions!  Still, it's nice to finally pin down {taH} 
after all this time.



-- 
Steven L. Boozer
Cataloging Department                     [email protected]
University of Chicago Library                    (773) 702-8726

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