tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Jun 30 09:39:27 2004

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Re: potlh De' = priority message?

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

lay'tel SIvten:
>Shouldn't {potlh} follow {De'} in this sentence for it to mean "priority
>message" (lit. 'important information')?  The way it is, it looks like the
>{nIv} is {potlh}.
>
>    VIXIS:  HoD, yo' SeHyaH nIvvo' potlh De' wIHevtaH.   (?)        [ST5]
>    "Captain, we are receiving a priority message from Operations Command."

I've wondered about that too but, assuming this isn't another actor's 
error, I think this isn't the quality {potlh} "be important" but rather the 
noun {potlh} "consequential thing, something important":  i.e. it's 
"something-important information".  This use of {De'} for an important 
announcement also appears in the STAR TREK: THE EXPERIENCE announcement in 
the title:

   STAR TREK: THE EXPERIENCE COMMUNIQUE
            *** tlhIngan De' ***

This *may* be a bit of Klingon military jargon which explains why the 
literal translation doesn't feel right.  (Maltz only revealed {QIn} 
"message" after ST5 came out.)

BTW the phrase {De' potlh} "important data" has been used and is translated 
"specifications" in the BoP Poster:

   tlhIngan toQDuj Duj De' potlh
   Klingon Bird of Prey General [Ship] Specifications

Another example of the noun {potlh} appears in:

   tlhIngan qorDu' potlh
   Klingon Family Values  (S13 title)

This isn't "an important Klingon family" but "a Klingon family's important 
thing(s)".  This use of {potlh} also feels a little odd to me, but not 
apparently to the Klingons.

Now, the real question is why Okrand didn't use {pav} "be urgent" in the 
ST5 line?  (Or maybe he did.  If someone has the tape, I'd appreciate it if 
s/he could listen to this scene and report back to us.  Maybe your ears 
and/or sound system are better than mine!)

P.S.  I also might have expected {wIHevlI'} instead of {wIHevtaH}, since 
the message was being received as she was speaking, but that's another 
question.



-- 
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons

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